Remember Me
by Sorrelwing
Summary: Wanda is struggling to move on in a world that won't let her forget Vision. However, she is shocked to discover that Vision is alive - albeit under the control of a dark organisation and with little to no memory. She sets out to help him remember who he is, and the question is whether he can remember enough to help her stop what the organisation is planning next.
1. Desecrated

**_So I've been doing one shots for this couple, which were mostly fix its I wrote before the release of Endgame. This will eventually be a fix it too because I adore these two, but I'm going to do something different this time by making it into a full length story with plenty of angst and a difficult journey getting there. You've read the title and the plot summary, you know what we're getting into, but it's going to be more than your typical amnesia storyline and remembering to love again, because it wouldn't be a marvel story without an evil organisation and a sinister plot._**

**_This is set after Endgame, a few months after Tony Stark's funeral and before Far From Home. Wanda is struggling after her loss and is finding it difficult to move on, and the world isn't making it any easier for her. However, she is shocked when it turns out that Vision is alive - albeit with little to no memory, and under the control of an organisation who are also working on a project that could have catastrophic results. The focus will mostly be on Wanda and Vision, but other members at the compound will include Sam, Bucky, and Carol, with other MCU characters having appearances._**

**_I hope you enjoy it! _**

Wakanda was eerily silent. Fear and grief were a powerful thing.

The moon was a sliver in the sky, barely casting a hint of light. It was very difficult to see the group moving from the savannah and into the forest. The field was still a disaster zone, the corpses of outriders laying rotting, vultures scavenging the remains. Fewer vultures than usual. With the recent devastation, there was no clean up operation regarding the damage of the battle that had taken place there several weeks ago. Weapons still lay on the ground, the Wakandan barrier had gone down after many of the people controlling it were among the vanished. It had only recently gotten back up and running, leaving the city exposed for several weeks.

A group walked through the African forest, the only sound being the leaves and twigs crunching under their feet. They had just gotten back from a distant planet, knowing now that with the stones gone, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, they could do to fix this. There was a little consolation knowing that the being responsible was dead, but not much.

At the head of the group was Steve and Natasha, followed by Rhodey and Bruce. Thor had vanished, Rocket didn't want to be in the same place he'd seen Groot disintegrate in, and Nebula and Carol hadn't known what had happened here. Tony was still recovering from nearly dying in space, so had been unable to come. He still couldn't be in the same room as Steve anyway. Okoye followed the four like a shadow, spear in hand. Her movements were stiff, her eyes glossy with what had almost become permanent tears.

"So. This is the way things are now?" Her voice once imbued strength, but little under a month later, it was brittle and broken, still recovering from the loss. It wasn't just her king and Shuri she had lost. The Queen Mother was also gone. Many of her friends and fellow warriors from the Dora Milage, and even W'Kabi, who she still wasn't on speaking terms with, were gone. She didn't even know what had become of Nakia - she had been on a mission at the time in Europe, but communication had been lost. Okoye desperately hoped that her communicator was merely malfunctioning, and she couldn't get in touch with her. Maybe she couldn't return to Wakanda with all flights cancelled worldwide. But that was too hopeful.

Okoye knew the more likely possibility. She blinked rapidly, fighting the tears, as she drew closer to the place she had seen her king and dear friend disappear before her eyes. "You're absolutely certain that the stones are destroyed? He wasn't lying?"

"He wasn't a liar. I believe Nebula." Natasha said, softly. A tinge of red was visible at her roots, as she didn't care about what she looked like anymore. "The best we can do now is pay our respects."

"Forever? " Rhodey asked, his tone brittle. Natasha looked stiffly at him, eyes filled with pain.

"What else can we do?" And they fell silent once more, as they neared the place they had lost so much. T'Challa, Bucky, Sam, Wanda, and Vision, who was the only one with a body that could be buried.

They had set up a memorial there already. Vision had been placed in a casket and buried at the foot of the cliff, a slab of stone intended to be engraved with his name, and everyone else there who vanished, on it. He deserved a proper funeral, so each member of the party carried bundles of African wildflowers. Plantlife had also been affected, so they had had to search for many hours to gather enough.

The clearing opened, and the group came to a startled halt. There was a moment of silence as they stared at the scene, trying to figure out what happened, what they were seeing.

"Oh my god." Whispered Bruce.

"Okoye." Natasha struggled to speak, the bunch of flowers she was holding cascading to the floor as her fingers trembled. "What... where..." Okoye ran forwards to the place she knew for a fact that Vision was buried. She had watched the scene take place, had stood before the mound of earth once the hole was filled, and whispered how sorry she was. But now, she stared at the scene in absolute horror and confusion.

A grave. With nothing in it.

There was a hole in the ground, where Vision had been buried. The soil that had filled his grave had been heaped to one side, and the hole was empty. Okoye reached for her kimoyo beads with trembling fingers. Suddenly she began screaming at an image of a confused looking woman.

"What - I don't understand how -"

"Did someone enter Wakanda when the barrier was down?"

"I - I don't know - the barrier was the last thing on anyone's mind when -"

"We're the most technologically advanced nation in the world! How could this be allowed to happen?" The woman in the image had her own problems, as everyone in the world did right now. Her hands flew to her face and she switched her beads off, so Okoye couldn't see her anymore. Okoye stared at the grave for a moment, before slowly turning to face them.

"I don't know what happened."

"I'll tell you what's happened." Rhodey said, bluntly. "This was a _graverobbing."_

"His body was _taken?_ But... why?" Steve's voice rose with his anger. "What kind of sick, twisted people would... what kind of opportunistic person would dig up his body in a time like this? And for what purpose?"

Suddenly Steve had a thought, as he remembered all those rotting outriders on the field. He raced off through the foliage to the place, and yes, it was true. Corvus Glaive's body, and his spear, was gone too. He came running back. "The alien's also vanished. And his weapon!"

"Well... that thing could have been taken by a predator..." Bruce attempted to insert logic.

"Yes, but I don't think a lion or leopard would take the weapon as a souvenir." Natasha said, dryly. She whirled around to the others, furiously. "And what about Vision? I don't think he was taken by an animal!"

Rhodey stared at the hole in the ground, before looking at them all. "Do you suppose someone thought... that if they could get their hands on him, what they could do? Before he was incapacitated, he was near invincible... I know there are many shady organisations who would love to use that to their advantage... as well as that creature that attacked them... and his spear could cut through anything..."

"But... the alien is dead. And Vision was too..." Bruce began pacing. For a brief moment a tinge of green was visible in the major artery in his neck, before it disappeared. The disappearance of Corvus and the glaive was swiftly forgotten as they thought of their dead friend, who was now god knew where. "His head was split open, the colour gone from his body... we ran tests before he was buried here! There's no way Vision survived that, or could be brought back even if someone tried..." Okoye listened to them beginning to argue, their distress growing as their grief only grew worse.

"Shuri... " Okoye forced her voice not to break at the mention of her name. "She was so close to safely removing that stone. If she hadn't been interrupted, she would have succeeded."

"You're saying that if someone with the right skills got to Vision..." Rhodey began, and Okoye nodded slowly. "Oh, god."

Steve turned to Bruce. "Maybe you missed something. Maybe she saved just enough of him to be something left. Maybe whoever did this could have fixed..."

"If Wanda were alive... Oh god, if she were buried, she would be turning in her grave, knowing this... " It took a lot to make the Black Widow cry, and she was now, tears dripping down her face as she thought of the young woman who she had come to view as a little sister. As the only women of the team they had bonded. She had cared for her during their time on the run, being the one to comfort her when her nightmares came for her on the nights Vision wasn't there. She had saved her life countless times, and Wanda had done the same. To know that some lunatic had desecrated the burial site, not knowing Vision's final resting place would break her heart.

"Even if they did, he wouldn't be the same being! With that level of damage..." silence. Bruce turned to them all, genuine fear entering his eyes. "We have a serious problem. Just imagine what someone could do with Vision, if he had no recollection of who he was..."

For a few months, they listened for any news. Time passed and there was nothing, no whisper, to suggest that Vision was alive. Eventually they believed that whoever took Vision failed in what they were trying to do, and they forgot.

Like half of the universe, Vision had vanished.

* * *

_Five years later_

The attendants of Tony Stark's funeral gradually went their separate ways. There were handshakes and promises to be in touch, some discussions of future plans. There was one member who had no future plans, however.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Clint asked. He still stood with Wanda by the lakeside, and she had been silent for a while, gazing across the water with a faraway look in her eyes.

"I will be." She said, softly. Clint looked over his shoulder, where Laura and the kids were saying their goodbyes. Lila and Cooper were telling Nathaniel that it was rude to stare at Rocket and Groot, although they themselves were finding it difficult to get over the fact that a tree could walk and that a raccoon could talk. Laura made her way over, hugging Wanda.

"If you need anything at all honey, you just give us a call. Promise me?"

"I promise..."

"Come over whenever you want. Nate's getting curious about his middle name, maybe you could tell him some stories some time?"

"Yes, of course. I'd love that." Wanda smiled, but the moment Clint and Laura left, it vanished. She turned away to look at the lake again, noting the ripples on the surface as the guardians' new ship lifted, shaking the trees as it departed. She watched the ship fly away, until it disappeared into the sky.

Shuri was a little nervous to approach Wanda, uncertain of her state of mind. Okoye had told her what happened, and she had felt guilty ever since. She paused before speaking.

"Miss Maximoff." Slowly, Wanda turned to face her. Shuri 's heart twisted painfully in her chest at the look on Wanda's face, as the sight of her brought back memories. Their last encounter had been in the tower, just before Wanda had flown away to help with the battle. Wanda had asked Shuri if they would be alright, and Shuri had said...

_"We'll be fine, I'm nearly finished..."_

Wanda had squeezed Vision's hand, assuring him that everything would be okay, before she had left. Minutes later, Shuri had been laying on the floor amongst the broken glass, and Vision was gone.

"I'm so sorry... I tried my best... to get the stone out as quickly as possible but... it was too late."

Wanda looked at the Wakandan princess, not saying a word. She took a few steps forward. Okoye watched from a distance like a lioness watching her cub, wary of Wanda's mental health and how she might react, seeing Shuri after what happened. "Thank you for trying to save him, Shuri."

"I did everything I could."

"I know." Wanda offered her a smile. "Take care of yourself." Shuri smiled too, before turning and walking to join T'Challa and Okoye. She and T'Challa linked arms, and Wanda began making her own way off the property, following the river. Okoye glanced at her king and Shuri.

"Give me a moment. I want to speak to her." They nodded, and Okoye hurried after Wanda.

"Wait." Okoye caught up, and put a hand on Wanda's arm. "You're not alright. I can tell."

"I'm sick of people asking me whether I'm alright... I'm fine, can't you see?" Okoye held her gaze, knowing it wasn't true. Anyone could see that Wanda's smile was painfully forced. They held eye contact for a long time, and Wanda felt something inside her beginning to break down as she looked at the woman who had helped her so much in that final day. The anger and desire for vengeance was gone, now that Thanos was dead. Now, there was no distraction from the pain. Her lips shook and she looked at the leaves beneath her, trying to hide the fact that tears were filling her eyes.

"I failed him."

"That's not true."

"He died, alone and afraid. The _second_ time... I killed him once... and then I let him die again in the most terrifying way..."

"Wanda, he wanted you to do it. You were the love of his life... it was what he wanted. You gathered the courage to do it. He loved you so much. And he wasn't alone, you were there with him..."

"I hurt him in the worst way possible! He suffered so much in those last moments, last days. I -" Wanda 's hands came together in front of her face, as though in prayer, as she tried to hold together. "In Edinburgh, he asked me to stay with him. In Wakanda, I abandoned him. If I had stayed, maybe he would still be alive!" Her powers began to crackle at her fingertips, her eyes glistened red. "Tell me now Okoye, how am I not completely alone?"

"Because Natasha said you weren't." Okoye wasn't afraid of the red magic coming from Wanda's hands. Without fear, Okoye hugged her. Wanda fought the hug at first, resisting, her powers withdrawing as she didn't want to hurt her. But then something inside her broke. She accepted the hug, wrapping her arms around Okoye tightly.

"I miss her too." Wanda sobbed. "She was like a sister to me..."

"You should have seen her. She was so strong when nobody else was. She missed you so much, and I know she would be so proud of you. That moment on the battlefield, where we banded together to turn the tide of the battle. That moment was for Natasha. Everything you did in that battle was for both of them." Okoye held her face, very much like a mother would hold the face of her child. "You may not have been able to save Vision. But you avenged him."

Wanda blinked and nodded. She had, and she knew it. When she had confronted Thanos, she had almost killed him. Vision had never doubted her power, not once. She could feel his presence.

It was here Okoye remembered something Wanda had the right to know. But as she looked at how broken Wanda was, she knew that such news would only make things worse. She couldn't bring herself to tell her. It would break her heart to learn what happened - or rather, what Okoye didn't know happened - to Vision's body.

Wanda pulled away from Okoye. "Thank you, for everything you did for us. I think I just need to be on my own for a while." She turned, and red light manifested around her, as she lifted off the ground and soared away. Okoye watched her go, and heard leaves crunching behind her.

"Did you tell her?" T'Challa asked.

"No. I don't think we should cause her further pain... "

"Yes, general, but that logic has not worked in the past. We only know full well. One day she may ask questions about what happened to him... "

"I'm aware of the damage secrets can do, but this situation is different. She is not ready to take such news right now." T'Challa could see the logic in that, and knew that Okoye was right. "Let's go home."

Wanda felt Vision's presence - his soul, she believed - for a few more days. Then she stopped feeling it. Slowly, as she started to heal, she thought that maybe it was because she had accepted his demise. He could rest now, like Tony and Natasha.

That wasn't the reason.


	2. Missing

_A few months later_

Carol Danvers stretched her arms over her head as she padded out of her room at the Avengers compound. She ran a hand through her hair, which had grown a few inches in the last few months since Thanos had been defeated.

Immediately she felt something rub against her legs, and stopped to pick up Goose. "Hey, buddy." It had been over twenty years, but Flerkens had much longer life expectancies than ordinary cats. Goose had become a lot more affectionate since she had last seen him, behaving more like a regular cat than he had in 1995. Maybe Nick had worn him down by respecting his space and feeding him well, as Goose looked very well fed. "Has everyone been treating you well? I think so." She chuckled, playfully prodding his pudgy stomach.

He purred in her arms, affectionately bumping his chin against her shoulder as she carried him through to the kitchen. Goose had enough of being held and began to struggle, and Carol immediately let him go, for she liked the use of both eyes. Goose hopped onto the counter, tail flicking from side to side as he roamed across the marble surface, rubbing his cheek against the coffee maker. "Hey, off you get. Sam won't be happy if he finds hairs in the fruit bowl!"

Goose of course ignored her, sprawling out on a pile of newspapers. She rolled her eyes, and gave him a false stern look. "Sometimes I forget you're a flerken and not a cat. Some people might want to read the_ New York Times..." _ She tried to read the headline under his swishing tail, but Goose rolled over whatever print was visible.

Something then caught her attention. Carol turned to see that Wanda was curled up on the windowsill, book still open, her head resting against the wall. The place had been rebuilt following the destruction. There was now a large glass wall and a windowsill that also acted as seating, with cushions and throws placed there by Wanda, who had made it her 'perch'.

She was asleep, in an oversized, dark grey knitted jumper. Now that she was no longer on the run, Wanda had reverted to the look she'd had before, with her dark brown hair, her nails painted black and many rings adorning her fingers. Goose lost interest in the newspapers, hopping up onto the sill beside her, rubbing his chin on Wanda's ankle. This awoke her, and she blinked before turning to look at Carol and then down at Goose, who was pawing at a loose thread on her leggings.

"Morning, sleepy head." Carol greeted her.

"Oh, I regret falling asleep on here." She massaged her stiff neck, before smiling, stroking Goose as he continued to nudge her. As Nick Fury was busy right now with the chaotic world following the aversion of the snap, Carol trusted the compound to look after Goose while she was off world.

Of course she had warned them not to annoy Goose and to feed him regularly to prevent any 'accidents' - at first they had all chuckled, until Goose had seized a cat toy with a tentacle and swallowed it whole. They had all walked on ice around him for a long time following this, with Sam panic buying assorted meat on each shopping trip to keep the flerken well fed and happy. Luckily winning Goose's affection with nice food and cat toys meant that he had no plans to eat the people who fed him well and gave him just the right amount of attention so as not to be annoying.

Bucky jokingly said it was like blackmail, with Goose having an iron rule over them. It was like a mantra: _Treat the cat well or be eaten._

Aside from Carol, Goose gravitated most toward Wanda, and she had grown very fond of him. A cat, alien or not, was a comfort to her. She gave him a lot of love but respected his personal space too, knowing when he had had enough of being fussed over. This had resulted in a lot of 'Hermione and Crookshanks' jokes from Sam - for their resident witch was often accompanied by a ginger 'cat'.

"Remind me again... why is he called Goose?"

"Mar Vell was a fan of 'Top Gun'." Carol searched through the fridge. Wanda tickled Goose behind the ears before rising.

"Hm... jasmine... green or earl grey?" She murmured to herself, looking at the boxes of tea on the counter. She switched on the kettle, running her fingers through her hair. "How much longer are you here for, Carol?"

"I've had no distress signals, my skrull friends are undercover... I'll stick around here until I'm needed. And I need to catch up with Maria and Monica at some point... so yeah, I'll be here to annoy you for a little while longer." There was a pause. Carol hesitated for a moment before deciding to bring it up. "You had us worried last night."

Wanda's fingers snagged on a tangle. She blinked and a familiar dark quality overtook her eyes - that familiar glazed, faraway look, as though her eyes were made of glass. Momentarily Carol thought she saw a flash of red magic within them, and for a moment she regretted reminding Wanda.

They all had painful memories. Carol had her fair share; Sam had lost Riley, Steve and Natasha; and Bucky had, to put it simply, gone through hell and back for over fifty years. But Wanda had lost so much. Her parents, her country, her twin brother, friends, and of course, her lover, who had died in such a terrible way. And yet she was one of the most - if not the most - powerful women Carol knew, and she knew many. She was so strong, and yet so damaged at the same time.

"I don't like sleeping in that bed... it just feels... empty. I can't sleep there without having a bad dream. And it's not just Vizh." Her voice broke a little at his name, and she blinked rapidly, aggressively stirring her tea, the spoon making loud 'chinks' as it repeatedly struck the mug. "Nat felt almost like a sister to me, Steve did so much for me... it's hard."

Needless to say, when Wanda found out that Natasha had died, she had been devastated. And later, when Bucky and Sam came back distraught after visiting old Steve, Wanda knew why. After he had lived the life he always wanted, Steve had passed away peacefully of old age not long after he had given Sam his shield. Steve had been buried in a high security garden kept secret from the public, where Pietro was also buried, and the place also had memorials for Nat and Vision. After the aversion of the snap, it was hidden better with the help of Wakandan technology to keep the media away.

Carol covered her hand. "We're here for you. You know that, right?" Wanda nodded, and took a long sip of her tea.

"I know. I appreciate it." They heard footsteps and glanced up. A half asleep Bucky entered, tying his hair in a bun.

"Morning." He said, sleepily. The change in him was remarkable. He had once been the ruthless Winter Soldier. Now he was soft spoken, awkward and one of the sweetest people Wanda knew. He and Sam who couldn't stand one another at first were now friends, albeit friends who liked to joke around with and wind one another up. On queue, Sam followed, looking at Bucky for a flaw to use as his typical good morning greeting.

For the moment at least, Wanda, Bucky and Sam - and recently, Goose - were the only permanent residents at the compound. Other members of the team who sometimes stayed for a couple of days or weeks had their own rooms too, like Carol, who lived there whenever she wasn't otherwise occupied in space or not living at Maria Rambeau's house. Clint had retired for good this time. Peter Parker had gone back to school, Rhodey was helping out Pepper and Morgan, for they were still struggling to cope following Tony's death, and Bruce was on vacation in New Asgard. Everyone was a projection call away, except for Thor and the guardians, who were in search of a woman named Gamora.

"You need to wash your hair." Sam remarked to Bucky. "It's looking kinda greasy."

"Sam, do you want some orange juice? There's only a little left." He raised the transparent bottle, showing the small amount of juice left.

"If I say yes you'll drink it."

"You're absolutely right." And with that, Bucky drained the rest of it. Sam glowered at him before hunting for an orange squeezer.

"I'm sorry, how old are you two meant to be?" Carol rose a brow.

"I'm one hundred and something. But I don't know whether the five year nap counts."

"I work with children..." Wanda sighed to herself, although not without a smile. She picked up her tea and headed off, seemingly to her room. Carol, Sam, and Bucky watched her go. Sam went to pick up an orange from the fruit bowl, only to stop and cringe as he pulled off a few ginger hairs. He casted an annoyed look at Goose who was purring happily as Bucky stroked him behind the ears with his human hand. Sam went to pick up the newspaper, but Goose had sat back down on it, and he refused to budge even when Sam tugged at the corner.

"Carol, your cat's a jerk." There was a pause. Sam glanced down the hall, making sure Wanda wasn't in earshot. Then he lowered his voice. "Did you hear her last night?" There was a rather uncomfortable silence.

"I heard crying." Bucky said, worriedly.

"It wasn't just crying. She _screamed_." Carol whispered. "I knocked. Her magic was coming out from under the door... then she came out, and insisted she was fine. She then locked the door and I figured she wanted to be alone. I guess she got up at some point to read and fell asleep on the windowsill."

Wanda walked straight past her bedroom. The beds they had shared may not have ever been that one - those had been in safehouses and hotels across Europe. But it still felt so strange, so unnatural, to sleep alone without him there to hold her as they slept. She placed her tea down on a table.

It wasn't his room, she reminded herself. After Wakanda, all their belongings - this being Wanda, Vision and Sam - and contents of their rooms had been moved into storage, in the basement of the compound which stretched far under ground. Everything had miraculously survived the destruction of the compound a few months ago, mostly unscathed. After she was restored, Wanda had struggled with everyday life. So she had moved his belongings into a spare room, hoping it would make her feel better, to try and make it feel as though he had been there. She placed her hand on the door handle.

She hesitated - she hadn't been in there for months. She finally gathered the courage to turn it and let the door swing open.

His room was so simple when she had last seen it - that had been before she had gone on the run. It had changed slightly as he had become more human. When she had walked into the storage room initially, all his things had been scattered across the floor, as the tremors from the destruction of the compound had reached the basement. She had had to hunt for the chess pieces that had been thrown around the room. Once she had recovered everything, she had set the room up and felt a little more content.

The chairs and the painting were there, but there were additions he'd made as he grew more human - a chest of drawers, which hadn't emerged unscathed from the destruction - there was a large crack in the side but that didn't matter. He phased most of his own clothes but there were a select few that were real in those drawers. There was even a bed, after he had started sleeping 'normally'. She had stacked up all his books, the spines facing her.

The book sitting on top was half read - the rest of the unread book still looked new, a bookmark sticking out of the last read page. She looked at the dusty spines, of novels and plays. They were all classics, as Vision had gravitated toward books that were staples of human literature in his effort to learn more about humanity - _Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, A Streetcar Named Desire, _to name a few. The other books were mostly romances, as he had spent much of his life intrigued by what love was. A lot of them had been recommended by her. In fact, that copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ had once been hers. She had lent it to him before the accords.

There had been one time when they'd met in Europe, one year after they'd started their relationship, one year before he died. It had been in a forest cabin in Iceland, and they had been cuddling on a couch. Conversation had moved to the compound.

_"If I'm quite honest, I don't really like my room at the compound..."_

_"You could spruce it up a bit..."_

_"I could. That's not the reason though."_

_"What's the reason?"_

_"Because... I'd much rather be where you are." _

That conversation had ended there when she had kissed him.

She ran a hand across the back of a chair, looking at the chess set which she had half heartedly arranged. It looked as though it had been abandoned mid game.

"You always loved chess." She managed a smile, remembering the games they had played. Playing chess had been difficult - she could read minds, and the mind stone gave him the same ability, so both of them could tell what move they were going to make next. Wanda opened the top drawer, and pulled out one of his sweaters. She held the fabric, and tried to remember the last time she had seen him wearing that particular one.

"I miss you." She whispered.


	3. New mission

By the time Wanda emerged from the room, her tea was stone cold. She slammed the mug back onto the table in frustration. Looking at her phone, she realized that she had been sitting in that room, holding one of his sweaters, for at least an hour, even though to her it had only felt like a few minutes.. "Dammit, Wanda. Get it together... He wouldn't want this..." She noticed red light glowing at her fingertips, and clenched her fist, forcing her powers back down.

There was light tapping from down the hall. Bucky stood in the doorframe, lightly knocking on the wall, a little nervous to interrupt after witnessing the moment. "Sorry to disturb you, Wanda. But we got a call."

"Coming." She looked at the room one last time, before reluctantly closing the door behind her.

She headed through to the meeting room. Bucky sat next to Sam, and Carol patted the seat beside her. Wanda sat down, glancing at the bluish projection of Nick Fury and Maria Hill.

"We have a mission... of sorts for you."

"That's exciting." Carol said, taking a bite of some toast. "I was hoping I'd be here to join you guys in a 'mission of sorts' before I head back to space."

"Hopefully it doesn't include shield throwing, because Sam doesn't have the hang of throwing it yet." Bucky smirked. It was true. Sam kept practicing with it outside and had smashed at least four windows with it.

"Actually, this isn't really a proper mission. More of an interrogation. Before we tell you who you're paying a visit to, you need context." Maria looked a little nervously at Bucky and Wanda, about to bring up a sensitive subject to the both of them. "There was an assassination recently, and we believe it was arranged by our former colleagues."

"Former colleagues?" Wanda asked, narrowing her eyes. Maria hesitated, glancing at Fury, before saying it.

"They used to work for Hydra."

Bucky's metal fist suddenly tightened around his coffee mug, and the handle broke off. Wanda felt coldness wash over her at the mention of Hydra. She had her encounter with them; the experiment that had granted her her powers, nearly killing her in the process. But of course, Bucky had suffered far worse, unimaginable pain that her mind powers could not begin to understand.

Bucky's good mood had vanished. His eyes looked haunted, the colour drained from his face so he looked ghostly white. Sam leaned toward him.

"You alright, buddy?" He asked, in a low, concerned voice, and Bucky slowly nodded, swallowing hard.

"I thought they were gone?" His voice was barely audible.

"Unfortunately not." Fury said, grimly. Bucky covered his face with his human hand. Shuri may have healed the wounds left by Hydra, but the scars were another matter entirely. Wanda wasn't the only one in the compound who sometimes woke up screaming.

"They're not exactly Hydra. The organisation has split into factions since Washington, with their own goals and projects." Maria Hill added, to try and ease the tension, although Bucky was still quiet, retreating into himself.

Fury continued. "Our sources tell us that they're working on something... the snap halted activity, but since it was averted, activity has resumed. We already think that this same group is responsible for a recent assassination in Area 51.."

"Area 51?" Sam looked suspiciously at Fury. "Then how on earth did you hear about it?"

"Classified."

"What's there?" Carol asked.

"Classified. Anyhow, whatever they used to access the facility -"

"What facility?" Carol grinned mischievously.

"There was a goddamn assassination. I was hoping you'd take this more seriously. And I am not telling you what's happening at Area 51!" After this they fell quiet, although Fury's face noticeably softened when he looked at Carol. "He should have been untouchable. But no. Whatever or whoever they sent in to do the job, it bypassed all security, managed to actually _enter_ this highly guarded facility without detection. It allowed them to access him and kill him. A series of other killings have been made as well, all in highly secure buildings, without a weapon. Most victims are hit in the head with brutal force or have their necks snapped."

"How lovely." Wanda remarked.

"We believe it was an enhanced individual due to the lack of a weapon and their seamless infiltration of the facility. And as we know, Hydra is partial to enhancing people."

"We know." Bucky muttered under his breath, and Wanda nodded to show she agreed.

"Now, we don't have any idea as to their current location... but for now, we are trying. But we do have an idea as to who could have accessed the assassination victim. A woman who used to work for a more corrupt faction of Shield... she could phase to the point of near invisibility and walk through walls, like -" Fury cut off before saying it, but Wanda knew what he was going to say. She gave him a long look before looking away. "Have you heard of Ava Starr?"

Wanda then lifted her face, recognising the name immediately.

" It can't be." She shook her head. "She doesn't do that any more. Hope told me." Wanda had gone to get coffee with Hope, and they had ended up talking about the events that had led to Hope's mother Janet being freed from the quantum realm, including Ghost's involvement. Ava had been disintegrated five years ago, which in her case was lucky, as otherwise she would have grown unstable again without the quantum particles. Since being restored she had become fully stable with the particles, and had befriended the Langs and Van Dynes. From what Wanda had heard, Ava would never go back to her old ways.

But Fury and Maria looked somewhat doubtful. "We can't trust the word of someone else. Perhaps you could pay her a visit, just to confirm that she's not back in action..."

"This seems very informal. I thought assumed assassins were usually captured and strapped into a mini glass prison?"

"Well, Barnes, a lot has changed since then, and we don't want such things happening again. Shield isn't really a thing anymore, organisations are more shady than ever since the snap. We think that an Avengers visit is a safer choice. Not to mention a telepath is very helpful in finding out the truth."

"Okay. I'll give you that."

_Later_

"What exactly are we going to say?" Wanda muttered, hearing footsteps coming to the door. A minor emergency had occurred nearby, and Carol had gone to deal with it. She didn't really know Scott and Hope, and three seemed enough to ask Ava about the delicate matter. They had called Scott and asked him to invite Ava over so they could talk to her, for they had no idea where she was living.

"We'll ask her calmly and politely." Sam said. He took the lead during missions, and that was how Wanda and Bucky liked it, for they weren't the 'take charge' kind.

"Hi, Miss Starr, tell us. Have you recently gone to Nevada to murder a scientist?" Bucky shivered in his hoodie on the front step; his metal arm didn't help, as wrapping his arms around himself obviously only made him colder. Light snow covered the ground, and the clouded sky had that ivory colour that suggested more snow was coming.

The door opened, to reveal Scott in his pyjamas. "Hey, guys. What's up and why did you want us to call Ava?"

"Well, it's a bit difficult to explain... we just need to ask her some questions." Scott didn't move from the doorway, and it was clear he wouldn't move until he had a better answer.

"Fury thinks she's involved with a recent assassination." Bucky said, through chattering teeth. "Can we please come in? It's freezing out here, and I'm a senior citizen." At this, Scott frowned and shook his head.

"That's ridiculous. Ava wouldn't do that after everything they did to her..." But he stepped aside and they entered the house. "But she's here, so you can ask. Cassie's at school, but Hope's here."

They entered the living room. Hope glanced up as they entered, before getting up and hugging Wanda, offering friendly smiles to Sam and Bucky. Behind her was Ava, curled up on the couch. Her hair was in a bun, she was wearing a soft grey hoodie, with coffee in hand. Ava definitely didn't look like an assassin anymore.

"So I hear you wanted to see me." She said, looking as confused as Scott and Hope.

"Hi, we just need to ask you something." Bucky looked at Scott and Hope for permission to sit down, his gentleman attitude still present despite all he had gone through. They nodded and they all sat down on a couch opposite Ava. Hope was perched on the chair arm of the same couch, a hand covering Scott's as his arm looped around her shoulders.

Wanda spotted the ring on Hope's finger, remembering that she and Scott had gotten engaged. She had been happy for her friend, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel sad. There had been a few instances in Edinburgh when she and Vision had walked past a jewerelly shop window, and she had pretended not to notice him pausing to look at the engagement rings. Maybe she was misinterpreting, for the rings were beautiful regardless as to their purpose and worth a second glance.

"There was an assassination recently, at a highly secure facility in Area 51." Sam began. Ava's eyes narrowed; it seemed as though she already knew what was coming. Before she could ask anything, Scott's eyes lit up.

"Area 51? What's there?"

"You should've just said Nevada." Bucky sighed.

"Is it really an aircraft testing base, or something else? A cloning facility? Is it aliens?" Scott asked, enthusiastically, earning an eye roll from Hope and a look of bemusement from Ava.

"Aliens isn't that exciting, we already know they exist." Hope pointed out.

"It would still be cool though, right?"

"What is the obsession with that place?" Wanda remarked, half to herself. After everything she had seen, nothing would surprise her. "We don't know either. Fury wouldn't breathe a word. The point is the place is really secure." It was time to ask the question.

"Don't be offended, but... it's only because you're the only person we can think of..." Bucky tried to think of a way to politely ask her, but then shook his head and left it to Sam to ask.

"Fury thinks you might have something to do with the assassination. Because only someone with your skillset would have a chance of getting into somewhere that secure."

Scott and Hope glanced at one another and then at Ava. Ava blinked in surprise before smiling and shaking her head, as though amused by the suggestion.

"I don't do that anymore."

"No offense, but we can't take your word for that -" Sam was interrupted by a chuckle from Ava.

"If someone put a gun to my head and told me to phase... I'd say shoot me. Because..." Ava lifted a hand, turning it through the air, smiling with the corner of her mouth. "I can't phase anymore. No more walking through walls for me."

"It's too bad too, I was hoping you could rob a bank for me - I'm kidding!" Scott laughed as Hope elbowed him, before she spoke.

"It's true. The quantum particles stabilised her. She lost the ability." Hope seemed a little protective toward Ava, prepared to defend her from the three avengers in the Lang house should they make a move to arrest her. Oddly enough they hadn't discussed what they would do if it turned out Ava was the culprit. Sam and Bucky exchanged a glance and then looked at Wanda. Fury would not be satisfied by Ava's word alone. But there was a way to prove it.

"Don't believe me?" Ava shifted on the couch, catching on. "Then why don't you have a look into my head? You'll see I'm not lying. You'll see exactly where I was."

"If you're sure..." Wanda hadn't yet admitted that she didn't like reading minds anymore unless she had to. The only mind she enjoyed reading was Vision's. She felt his awe of the world, his innocence, and later, how much he loved her. But reading the minds of other people, people who had suffered, was something else, especially when she had her own pain to deal with too. And Ava had suffered a lot, physically and emotionally.

All eyes turned to Wanda as she looked into the young woman's mind, Ava steadily holding her gaze. As expected, she felt the memories of pain, and she initially recoiled, before looking past it. She saw happy moments. She looked through the recent memories; there was no phasing at all. There was an amusing instance where Ava automatically went to phase through a door, only to remember too late as she crashed straight into it. The instance only made Ava smile as she used the handle and opened the door. And then five days ago, on the day of the assassination, she saw Ava on a steamboat on the Mississippi. "It wasn't you. You were in New Orleans."

Ava smiled. "It's a lovely city. You should go."

"Thank you for your time. Sorry to have bothered you all." Sam sank into the couch, evidently relieved. "And... Sorry that Fury blamed you. And us too. "

"Well, I can see why he would have suspected me. I practically ticked every box. Now, Hope - you were about to show me the ring." Hope extended her hand and Ava, Sam and Bucky leaned forward to study the diamond.

"My fiancee has good taste. Did you attain it legally, Scott?"

"Har har. As a matter of fact I did, Cassie helped me pick it. Reminds me, she gets home from school soon, can you guys stay till then? She's a big fan of you, Wanda. You're her third favourite avenger."

"Only third?"

"Scott and I are top two." Hope grinned.

"Of course I'm number one. I'm the world's greatest grandma _and_ greatest avenger." Scott said, smugly, going to make more coffee and fetch the 'save the date' cards.

Hope leaned over to Wanda, whispering with a smile. "Cassie tells Scott he's her favourite, but it's actually me. I have _wings."_


	4. Out there

"Do you think it's someone like me?" Bucky's voice was distant as he held a knife in both hands, staring at his eyes reflected in the blade. "Someone who doesn't know what they're doing, who's being tortured and programmed to kill without question?"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Hydra would need someone who would willingly do their dirty work..." Wanda tried to comfort him, but inside, she knew that there was a possibility that Bucky was right. No one was twisted enough to _willingly_ do such terrible things, surely? "I'm sure they wouldn't do something like that again..."

"Wanda, you were an experiment of Hydra... do you think they'd try enhancing more people?" Carol prompted. She was still in her uniform after returning from the quickly dealt with incident, and they had informed her that Ava Starr was indeed innocent. She was ruled out of the equation, but then, that solved nothing regarding as to who was breaking into secure facilities and murdering people.

"I honestly don't know... Bruce, any idea?"

All eyes turned to the projection of Bruce Banner. Wanda still couldn't get used to the strange hybrid of Banner and the Hulk. The projection showed him sitting in a cabin, in a too-small armchair that seemed to be buckling under his weight. His blackened arm looked no better, now in a permanent sling, but he had grown more adjusted to the use of only one arm now that a few months had passed.

"Well, they don't have any more infinity stones or other intergalactic objects to use now. I don't think enhancing people is possible anymore. This assassin, whatever they are... maybe you're over thinking it. Maybe they infiltrated the facility? Maybe stole someone's ID, overrided the security with some advanced technology to get to him?"

"I still don't know how they'd get out of there without being caught." Sam shook his head, lost. "It only seems like a job for someone who can walk through walls..."

Bruce grew still. A frown took over his face, as a memory his brain had chosen to omit came back to him. His eyes briefly moved to Wanda, before he shook his head, as though dismissing an idea. Wanda frowned as well, wondering what thought he had had, annoyed by the fact that she couldn't access his mind through the projection.

"What?"

"Nothing... I just remembered something. Not important." Bruce genuinely believed it was impossible, so he dismissed the thought he'd had. "Do you guys need me to come back?"

"Leaving so soon? We're just getting started, mate! We were gonna throw a party for you! Valkyrie's bringing in the drinks!" A strange voice called from outside of the projection. A thing that looked like a mass of rocks entered the view; Wanda remembered being bemused during the battle a few months ago when she'd spotted him amongst the crowd. Bruce looked up at him, a little annoyed by the serious conversation being intruded.

"I paid last time! I am your King, remember? I command that I am exempt from the first round." There was the familiar voice of Valkyrie in the background. There she appeared. "Hi, guys." Her eyes brightened when she saw Wanda and Carol, remembering that moment during the battle. Wanda gave her a smile, remembering when they'd worked together to attack those huge flying creatures.

"Hi, your majesty." Carol said. There was a brief pause as Carol and Valkyrie's eyes lingered on one another.

"I never got the chance to tell you this in the battle, but I love your hair. And the suit." Valkyrie said, before smiling and ducking out of the frame, pulling Korg with her so that Bruce could continue the call. Carol chuckled and looked away, blushing slightly.

"As we were saying - should I come back?" Bruce asked again. Having him would be helpful, for they were lacking in a scientific mind at the compound. But it didn't seem fair to cut his trip short, for he had only left a few days ago.

"No, Bruce. Enjoy your vacation, we can deal with this."

"Well, if you ever need me... I'm just a call away." They closed off the connection and the blue projection of Bruce and the armchair vanished.

"Well, it was nice seeing them, but we're no closer to solving this..."

"There's really nothing we can do. Fury and Hill said they don't know the location of the sleeper cell, or this assassin. We're just going to have to. .."

"Wait for the next assassination? " Carol glanced at Sam. "More people will die if we do nothing..." But then she frowned and realised the plothole. "Well, I suppose there really isn't anything to go on. We'll just have to keep our ears close to the ground."

"Fury and Hill said they're trying to figure out who they'll hit next. If they hear anything, they'll let us know. For now, we'll just wait for the next call."

They flew the quinjet toward the compound. As they descended lower, Wanda leaned forward to look outside. "Oh, no. Not these losers again." They all craned their necks to see what she was referring to; a bunch of people outside the compound walls, cameras aimed at the jet as it came into view.

"For God's sake." Bucky retreated from the windscreen despite the fact that the cameras would be unable to see him. "What's so fascinating about the jet flying in?" The paparazzi was obsessed with the compound, particularly him, Sam and Wanda. They had particularly had lost their minds when Doctor Strange had stopped by with some wizards of Kamar-Taj to help with the reconstruction and repair of the obliterated compound.

They stepped off the quinjet, and saw a ginger patch across the snow. Goose was stalking in the snow, eyes fixed on a few starlings. They were startled and frantically flew up to escape. At first it seemed as though they would get away, but then Goose's mouth opened and tentacles shot forward, seizing the birds from the air. Sam and Bucky stared at him in shock, for this was only the second time they'd witnessed his alien side come out.

"Oh, Goose!" Wanda groaned. "Those poor little birds..." Goose looked up at them like any ordinary cat, gaze innocent as he licked his paw, a few feathers sticking out of his mouth. Carol shook her head in disapproval.

"Little barbarian. Are you coming in?" She held the door open and Goose padded inside, shaking snow off his coat. The others followed behind, Sam and Bucky keeping their distance now that they remembered Goose wasn't a normal cat. He sauntered over to the corner and began clawing at the cat-scratching post they'd gotten for him.

"Okay, interview with an assassin and alien cat encounter over... " Sam closed the fridge, disappointed with the contents. "A grocery shop is due... now, I don't know about you guys, but I have a craving for Chinese food. Dinner's on me, let's escape reality for a few hours." By this, Sam meant a movie night. He turned to Bucky and Carol, knowing that they had missed out on a lot of movies. "Have you guys ever watched Jurassic Park? "

"What's that?" They asked simultaneously.

A few hours later, Bucky and Carol's eyes were glued to the screen. Sam was staring at the pair of them, surprised that a supersoldier from another time and an intergalactic warrior could be so invested in a movie from the nineties about dinosaurs running wild.

"If I filmed this it would be an internet sensation." He whispered to Wanda.

_ "Turn off the goddamn light! It'll see you!"_ Bucky whispered frantically as the Hammond grandchildren struggled to turn off the torch, attracting the attention of the T-Rex. Wanda smiled as she looked up from her phone to look at how invested the two were in the movie. Carol was anxiously gnawing her nails as the T-Rex began attacking the car.

"Get out of the car, _get out of the car!_" She exclaimed, in a very fast paced voice, forgetting about the chow mein she had ordered.

This reminded Wanda so much of the times she and Vision had watched movies. She had seen the timeless classics and he hadn't, so watching him experience film for the first time had been endearing to her. She'd been a little annoyed but mostly amused when they had to pause the movie several times so he could ask her a question. Sometimes they would marathon movies and pull all-nighters. This annoyed the hell out of the team, for Wanda would be incoherent come morning having stayed awake all night.

But Natasha had told Wanda she had found it a little touching when she'd entered the room one morning to find 'Gone with the Wind' playing, with the pair of them asleep and curled up under a blanket. The strangest thing was that Vision was asleep as well; up until that point he'd never fallen asleep unintentionally before.

No wonder, Nat had said, for it was such a ridiculously long movie. But it was also because Vision and Wanda felt strangely content around each other. She looked at him, treated him as though he were human, while he was fascinated by her and not afraid of her powers. Unlike most of the team in those first few months he didn't walk on ice around her...

_Stop it. You're doing it again... _thinking about those times only upset her, as it did now, a familiar lump forming in the back of her throat.

"I'll be back." She said, as she got up and excused herself. "I just need to make a phone call." That was a lie, but Carol and Bucky were so invested in the movie and Sam was so busy trying to discreetly steal Bucky's sichuan chicken that they didn't notice. Wanda put on a hoodie that had once been Natasha's, stepping out onto the balcony.

She noticed some paw prints in the snow, and saw Goose batting at snowflakes on the ground below the balcony. She looked up and stared across the compound grounds, which were white with snow, the sky thick with it.

The snow reminded her of Scotland.

_Stop it. _

_He's gone. It's time to move on.. you have to... _Wanda gripped the balcony railing. Her fingers started turning red, melting the snow beneath her grip, and she felt them deep inside her, surging through her like a bird frantically trying to escape a cage. Suddenly it felt claustrophobic - the ground felt claustrophobic. Her hands glowed red and the light bursted into existence, as she leapt into the air, needing to let them go. She soared up through the snow, the clouds, the cold temperatures unfelt as her magic blazed within.

Once she was high enough, she let her powers break free, lashing out in a violent wave. She hovered there, breath clouding in the freezing air.

_If he's dead... why don't I feel him?_

Wanda had a feeling she had a connection with the dead. She could feel their souls present. They were always with her. She felt her parents, Pietro, Natasha, Steve, sometimes Tony. For a time after she was restored she felt Vision's too, but then one day, she stopped feeling it. Wanda knew he had a soul, she didn't doubt it for a moment. She had felt it when he was alive.

Love is for souls, she had told him once, when he had doubted he had one. So why could she no longer feel him, as she felt Natasha and Steve's, Pietro and her parents watching over her? Had she not known he was dead, she could have sworn that the reason was that he was still alive...

It was like... he was out there somewhere.

Finally feeling the cold, Wanda descended back to the balcony. A little catharsis filled her after the release of her powers. She closed her eyes, knowing that grief was making her hope, making her misinterpret these feelings. She had to move on. Vision was gone, and she had to accept that. "I'll never forget you, and I promise, I'm going to move on. It's what you would want. Wherever you are, I love you."

Out there, on the other side of the world, a figure paused in what he was doing. He looked around, sensing something, as though someone, somewhere, had called his name.

Then he dismissed it, and continued on.


	5. Not a normal day

Wanda made it her mission to go back to normality. So, despite it being Sam's turn to do the weekly shop, she had insisted on doing it, telling him he could take her turn next time.

She narrowed her eyes at the piece of paper. They had a shopping list stuck to the fridge under a magnet (the Avengers logo, obviously), that they would add to throughout the week. They alternated going - Sam went one week, Bucky the next, and so on. Her current dilemma was reading Bucky's handwriting.

Amongst readable words like bread, milk, blueberries and avocado, there was difficult to read scrawl. He had notoriously untidy writing - writing with a metal arm was difficult. In brackets was Sam's correction. Next to the black scribbles, the brackets showed: plums, yogurt, peanut butter, chocolate. The world's former deadliest assassin had a sweet tooth.

Wanda noticed a final addition.

_W__hatever __they have you think Goose would like. _There was a drawing of a smiling cat face. Anything to stop Goose from preying on sweet little birds.

She pushed a shopping cart around, wearing dark glasses and a hat as she picked items off the shelf. It was remarkable how invisible she became when wearing them - she was never recognised. Sometimes she would laugh at herself for being paranoid and would head out without them, only to find herself flying away from a mob of paparazzi the moment she stepped foot outside the compound.

As they'd noticed yesterday while descending in the quinjet, the media seemingly stalked the outside of the compound fence, waiting to film any activity or ambush any member of the team who came out. Security had even caught cameramen attempting to climb over the compound fence - sometimes they had to be escorted out or rescued from the top of the fence if they got stuck.

The worst part was that the media had gone crazy when it came out that she and Vision had been an item, and five years later, now that she as well as most of the world's journalists were restored, they were desperately trying to get answers to insensitive questions. Questions about Scotland, Wakanda, the battle a few months earlier, their relationship. None of them considered that she may find their questions upsetting or invasive. All they cared about was the story.

Wanda did her best to ignore them. But it was very hard not to get angry.

She passed a newsstand, and paused to read the headlines. Most were about the aversion of the snap, as months later, the media still scraped for any story about the snap they could get. _Humorous and embarrassing incidents reported in public bathrooms around the world following the revival. _She rolled her eyes and muttered to herself.

"That's not news. That's just unpleasant."

Luckily there were some headlines that didn't outright mention the snap, or weren't anything to do with it.

_Pollution and carbon emissions at all time low around the world. King T'Challa promises more aid and involvement from Wakanda. Assassinations__ around the world mystify and worry authorities. _Worry filled her at that last one. A week after their visit to Ava Starr, Fury and Hill had failed to find any new leads or hear word of the assassin, or the hydra faction's location or plan. Yet more people were showing up dead.

Yet what could they do? There were no leads at all, absolutely nothing to go on. It was pointless trying to pursue this assassin without any clues.

Wanda paid for the groceries and loaded them into her car. Tony had left the team a generous amount of money in his will, and it had been split equally between them. With a part of her share, she had finally got her licence and a small, modest red car, for lavish luxury vehicles weren't her thing. She would rather fly as opposed to driving, but that attracted too much attention.

The new security gate was run by a facial recognition scanner, and she was immediately let in when she took off her aviators. She spotted a woman running down the path towards her with a camera, and Wanda practically flew her car through the gate and it quickly slammed shut behind her. She grinned over her shoulder as the frustrated journalist stared through the gate before admitting defeat and stalking off.

She pulled into the parking lot of the compound, and headed in. The bags floated on a cloud of her magic as she entered, and she began moving them telekinetically to their places in the refrigerator and cupboards. Carol emerged from her room, stretching in some sports clothes. "Hi, Wanda - I'm just off for a run, do you wanna come with?"

"Really? It's freezing outside... " But then running would warm her up... Wanda placed the last item in the fridge, turning and considering. Running in aviators and a hat wasn't practical. But surely, it would be fine? Nobody would take notice of them - just two women out for a run. Not to mention, running with a friend would be a perfect way to get back to normality. Still though, the idea of running in public made her uncomfortable.

"You know, I think I will. But can we stay inside the compound grounds? A woman with a camera tried ambushing me as I entered the security gate."

"Again?" Carol rolled her eyes. "What is wrong with these people? They need to get a life."

Wanda changed into some suitable running clothes, pausing to French braid her hair so it was out of her face. After some stretches, she and Carol went jogging out of the compound. There was still snow on the ground, but the pathways had been gritted so they wouldn't be going ice skating as opposed to jogging.

They were both powered by infinity stones, but the tessaract and a kree blood transfusion had given Carol superhuman stamina. Wanda may have been gifted magic, but she was still human, and couldn't run as fast or for as long as Carol. Wanda could tell Carol was holding back so she could keep up.

They took a trail through the compound forest - or rather, the outskirts of the trees that had been obliterated by the battle. Despite this it was growing back quickly.

"Life finds a way." Carol joked, as they ran past some new growth.

"You really enjoyed that movie, didn't you?" Wanda chuckled. "Wait till you see the third one, you'll be disappointed -"

"Miss Maximoff!" A voice called. They both turned their heads. Wanda's heart sank. She whispered "fuck" in Sokovian. Carol glowered at the sight. A rather athletic looking man with a large camera on his shoulder was literally chasing them, racing after them on the gritted path.

"How the hell did he get in? How desperate are these people?" Wanda muttered through gritted teeth.

They sped up, but the cameraman was determined, and managed to keep up, the camera invading their personal space. If there was no consequence, they would have kicked his ass, but he was filming them, and the government hadn't forgiven them for past collateral damage. Even after everything they had done for the world and the universe, Wanda had seen the seething look on Secretary Ross's face as the United Nations revoked the Sokovia Accords.

"Miss Maximoff, a moment of your time!"

"Go away."

"You're trespassing on private property!" But Carol was ignored. She was still relatively little known to Earth, and Wanda was a much more exciting news story. It was as though Carol were invisible.

"Miss Maximoff, do you consider it unethical and strange that you had a relationship with a robot?" Rage began to fill Wanda, the increase of lactic acid from the exercise causing her mild pain as she tried to run faster and get away from him. She clenched her fists as she ran, trying to keep her powers from flaring up.

_Don't answer. _But Wanda's blood was boiling. She imagined tomorrow's headline: _The Scarlet Witch goes crazy and attacks paparazzi, _and she tried again to ignore him.

"I am not discussing this. It upsets me -"

"People are questioning your mental health and whether you are a danger to the public -"

"Is this guy on steroids? How is he keeping up with us with that stupid camera?" Carol hissed. "Do you want me to hit him?" Yes, they could have flown away, but this man was pissing them both off. It was as though subconsciously, part of them wanted to wait for an excuse to give him a piece of their minds.

"No Carol, you'll feed his story -"

_"Wanda, he climbed the fence and now he's crossing a line! If he says another word I'm gonna -"_ Carol's voice faded as Wanda grew distracted by the rage growing inside her. How dare these idiots with cameras ask such invasive, personal questions? What business was her former romantic life it to anyone? Vision was dead, what possible 'story' was there? _"If this guy knew how powerful you really were, he'd be running away screaming -" _Her fists glowed red as if agreeing with Carol. A voice began whispering inside her head, mocking her.

_You've fought armies of robots and aliens. You destroyed an infinity stone. You nearly tore Thanos to pieces. And yet here you are, running away from an idiot with a camera! _

"How long were you meeting in secret?"

_No, no... don't listen._

Wanda had hidden her true power on missions - or, the few missions she could bring herself to go on - in the public eye. Still feeling fragile, she hadn't been on many, but she held back, knowing she was still under close watch by the government. There was concern about whether she was a risk to the public, so she didn't want to give them more fuel. She felt her powers surging once again, and she desperately tried to keep them at bay, but they were stronger than ever.

She glared at the cameraman over her shoulder, and hissed through gritted teeth.

"I'm warning you -"

"Listen buddy!" Carol had had enough. She skidded to a halt and whirled upon him, looking very much like a cobra. Normally she would have left it, ignored it and flown away, but this man was infuriating her. "Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable? She said she doesn't want to discuss it. Now get out of here before I kick your -"

But it seemed as though the cameraman wasn't entirely interested in money or a story. The next question, where the faintest hint of a creepy smile was visible as he pushed the camera into her face, was where Wanda lost it completely.

"What about the physical nature of your relationship? Many people are questioning how a human and a robot could-"

* * *

"You _punched_ him?"

"I could have done a lot worse." Wanda said, mildly. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and then she started laughing, head thrown back. "He had it coming! The kind of questions he asked, he's lucky he's still alive!"

"What about the camera!?" Sam protested.

"Don't worry, I took care of that." Carol had aimed a photon blast at the camera, and it exploded, bits of plastic flying in all directions, destroying any footage or evidence. Then Carol turned binary and red magic surrounded Wanda as they took to the air, and all the while, the man had been screaming threats, blood spouting from his nose.

"The questions he asked were unbelievably inappropriate. I was within my rights!"

"You're damn right. He was a creep, he deserved it!' Bucky was practically dancing with joy throughout the whole story. But Sam looked worried, and under the satisfaction, Wanda began to worry too.

"Look, I'm not saying you did something wrong - he deserved it. But... if word of this gets out, you could be charged with assault -"

"He was trespassing! We should get _him_ arrested!" Bucky leapt to their defence. As the other three began arguing about their course of action, Wanda heard music.

"Hold that thought..." Wanda's phone was ringing. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Wanda?"

"Pepper?" She immediately put her on speakerphone, and the other three immediately stopped their debate to listen.

"Hi, sweet. I just heard what happened, are you and Carol okay?" She briefly wondered how Pepper found out, before she remembered what happened after she and Carol had taken to the sky. They had looked down to see Happy Hogan furiously (struggling, with the snow) driving across the compound lawn in his golf cart, yelling at the cameraman not to move. With Rhodey helping out Pepper and Morgan, he had come over to the compound to help deal with the recent surge in crazy paparazzi trying to scale the fence. He must have told Pepper.

"We're fine. I couldn't help it, he just made me so angry..." At first Wanda was concerned that Pepper was going to scold her, as any mother would. Perhaps she was going to advise her on how to deal with these kind of people, for she too had been harnessed by cameras countless times. So what she said took her by surprise.

"Honey, you did the absolute right thing. I'm calling to let you know that you don't have to worry about that cameraman. I have contacts, and I've offered him a small fee for his silence. My lawyers also pointed out that he could also be arrested, for trespassing on private property and for harassment."

"Oh, Pepper, you shouldn't have..."

"I know, he doesn't deserve it, that piece of - Morgan, baby, cover your ears, I'm about to say my special word. You won't be hearing from that piece of shit again, I promise. I'm going to pay for electrified fencing, as what you currently have clearly can't keep out the trash. There will also be a new security team to send these idiots on their way. "

"Thank you so much, Pepper. I hope you're okay."

"I am. We are. Please, be careful out there, okay? No more punching cameramen. I'm not made of money." Pepper chuckled before hanging up, although Wanda knew Tony had probably left her enough money to pay off all the paparazzi in the world.

"Problem solved. " Wanda said, with a grin. Now that they knew there would be no police knocking, Sam relaxed.

"Nat would be so proud." He said, without really thinking. There was a pause, but no sadness this time, as Wanda imagined the look on Nat's face as she told her what she did, followed by Nat charging out the door to give the cameraman a piece of her mind.

_"Where is he? I'll kill him! I'll cut off his -"_

"You're damn right she would be." Wanda said, smiling fondly at a photoframe on the wall, a picture of Natasha with Lila.

"So would Steve... I can only imagine what he would have done to that creep." Bucky's smile then disappeared as he remembered. "I, uh... gimme a minute." He swiftly left the room, almost tripping over Goose who had been sitting right behind him.

"Buck -" Sam followed him out of the room, leaving Wanda and Carol alone.

"You're not the only one harassed by obnoxious idiots." Carol sighed. "They keep asking him whether he's anything to do with the assassinations, and also about Steve..." The team had told the world that Steve had died in the final battle, when nothing could be further from the truth. The detail as to exactly how Captain America died had not been fabricated to the media, who knew that the death of such a hero would make big news.

"These people don't have any idea how dangerous he is. How dangerous we all are... "

Wanda lifted a hand, absent mindedly playing with her magic, casting shapes and weaving it through her fingers. She thought of the destruction she was responsible for. The world knew so little about what happened in Wakanda. All it knew was who died there, and what Thanos did. It didn't know Vision died twice, let alone how he died the first time. If the world had any idea, not one cameraman would dare ask her a question. They would drop their cameras and run for their lives.

Wanda heard the jingle of Goose's collar, and felt him bump his head against her knee. "Let me show you what I got for you today." She said, heading over to the fridge. She knew that her desire to return to normal was pointless. She was a witch, and avenger. She herself was incapable of returning to normality, and the world would never let her forget what happened. Nothing would ever be normal again.


	6. The Elysian Garden

Pepper never admitted how much money she had paid the cameraman to keep silent, but Wanda was seething knowing that the man had basically been rewarded for being a creep. But at least she could rest assured knowing he wouldn't say a word, as Pepper's lawyers had threatened to throw him in the worst jail cell for the longest term possible for trespassing and harassment.

Not to mention that punching him in the face had been perhaps the most satisfying thing she had ever done, and nobody could take that away from her.

Her smile faded as she wondered what Vision would have done to him. Towards the end of his life, he was more human than ever - to Wanda, more human than most men. That good side of him wouldn't have hurt the man - at least not physically.

But he probably would have found the man's car, ripped out the engine, punched a hundred dents in the side, and smashed the windscreen. All before picking it up and tossing it in a lake for good measure. He had been a gentleman, after all.

_Focus. _

"Wanda?" Carol tapped on the bedroom door.

"Come in."

Carol opened the door, Goose at her heel. At the initially confused look on Carol's face, Wanda explained. "Yoga. It relaxes me." She stretched out one arm, holding her ankle in the 'king of the dance' pose. "You know, Vizh did sessions with me. He was better than me, funnily enough. He could hold a pose for a concerning amount of time."

"Really?"

"Of course he was cheating. Constantly changing his density..." Her voice trailed off. Carol was unsure how to respond, but Wanda could sense that she was worried about something else, and used that to break the silence.

"What's up? The cameraman didn't say anything, did he?"

"No word, Pepper must have given him enough money to retire... but have you seen Bucky?"

Wanda paused, red light surrounding her music player as the soft zen music switched off. She slowly went back to a normal stance. "Not since this morning... he's been quiet the last couple of days... " They'd all worried about him; for some reason he seemed a little cold and distant, ever since the mention of Steve a few days ago.

It wasn't the first time - Bucky would have bad days where he would be withdrawn, staring into the distance for too long, being easily startled as he grew lost in thought. Wanda too experienced the same, and she didn't need to look into his mind to know that he'd had a nightmare, or something had come up on the news about the snap that upset him. Or that it was simply grief, after losing his childhood friend, leaving him stranded in a modern and unfamiliar world without a link to his past anymore. Despite everything Shuri had done, Bucky would always be damaged. Like herself.

"Sam's worried. He's not answering his phone... I did some flying and didn't see him, either."

"Are you sure he just doesn't know how to use his phone? We've all tried showing him but Bucky and modern technology doesn't go well together... " Wanda frowned and thought about it harder. She had felt as though she'd forgotten something all day. Then she glanced over at her calender, noticed the circled date, and a jolt of sadness went through her.

"I wonder if he's gone to the Elysian Garden."

"The what?"

"It's... where Steve, Tony, and Pietro was buried. I know, Elysian Garden, Elysian Fields. Real subtle, but it's better than calling it a cemetery. We agreed to a day each month, the day Steve died, where we'd remember him, and everyone else. We'd all raise a glass to them. With everything that's happened lately only he remembered."

Rapid footsteps sounded from behind Carol, and Sam appeared, looking deeply worried. Before he could start to say that Bucky was missing, Wanda brought it up. "Sam, have you considered the Elysian Garden?" Sam paused, before his eyes widened. He too looked at the calendar on Wanda's wall and groaned.

"Oh my god. I just realized what today is. It's three months today, isn't it? Since Steve... " His voice broke off. "You're probably right. God, I feel awful. Let's go get him."

They drove out of the security gate, bracing themselves for another journalist, but it seemed as though Happy had scared them all away. They had a hassle free drive, and got there in ten minutes.

"We could have flown here." Carol pointed out, halfway the through the drive. Wanda and Sam glanced into the back seat at her, before both sighing.

"I suppose we could have... dammit. Any of us could have carried him back... "

"Not me. He won't let me pick him up with my powers since you told him what happened the first time I practised that move with Steve..."

"Come on, you'd only had your powers for a few months. It wasn't that bad..." Pause. Sam casually rolled down the window. "There were only _a few_ stitches..."

"He had to go to _hospital_, Sam."

To the outside it looked like an overgrown forest. There was a sign:

_Private nature reserve. No trespassing. Bears and wolves in the area. Trespassers will be prosecuted. _

They looked around, ensuring the coast was clear, before passing through the invisible barrier. They walked through it and the illusion of a forest vanished, to reveal a small field within a gated area. They slipped through the gate, and as expected, there Bucky was, asleep on the bench next to Steve 's grave. There was a fresh bouquet of flowers on it, and also on Tony's grave - initially she was puzzled, before remembering the guilt Bucky still felt about Tony's parents. He had nearly not gone to the funeral, feeling he wouldn't be welcome, but Sam had persuaded him.

Sam headed over and shook him awake. Bucky woke with a start. "Hey, buddy. You need to keep your phone switched on."

"I don't know how to work that thing." He muttered. He looked at Steve's headstone, eyes filled with tears. Carol sat on the bench beside him.

"It's alright. I myself prefer my pager." Carol remarked, and the corner of Bucky's mouth twitched as he tried to resist a smile.

"Rmember, " Wanda said, gazing at the grave. "He lived a long, happy life with the woman he always loved. He'd want you to live a happy life too... they all would."

"Come on, Buck. Let's head back. You're freezing." Sam put his arm around him, and they began heading over to the car. Wanda paused, staring at the first headstone that had been placed. "Coming, Wanda?"

"Yeah. I just... need to talk to my brother." Wanda said. They nodded before leaving to give her some privacy. It was their memorial day of the month, afterall. Wanda saw some wildflowers growing, and picked enough to make a small bouquet.

"Happy birthday." She sat beside the grave. "I know it's not today. I'm a few months too early. But this is the first time I've been here for two years... well, seven years to you, if I think about it... what kind of a twin sister does that make me, not wishing you a happy birthday for seven years?"

Pietro, of course, couldn't answer her with a witty comment. Wanda placed the wildflowers onto the grave, before setting to work tidying it, pulling weeds off the headstone so she could read it properly. _Pietro Maximoff. Loving son, brother, and Avenger._

"I've been so lost. I've been thinking about Vizh so much I almost forgot that I lost you too... I'm sorry. I could never forget you. Not a day goes by where I don't miss your smile."

"I miss you. It makes me wonder how different things might have been, if you were there during the accords... my time in hiding... when that monster came and ruined it all..." Wanda felt tears pricking at her eyes again. "I think you would have liked Vision. Eventually, anyway." She smiled fondly. Pietro didn't like any man around his sister, so she didn't think Vision would be any more welcome.

She had had a dream one time. For a rare occasion, it wasn't a nightmare. More of a weird dream in which she told Pietro she was meeting Vision, and he had reacted with horror.

_ "You're meeting the Vision in secret?"_

_ "Not 'the'. Just Vision. What about him?"_

_ "'Him?' He is a machine! You might as well be dating a microwave oven!"_

Despite how insulting that was, Wanda couldn't help but chuckle. "He would have forgiven you for that... I think. He wasn't a machine, or a robot... He was so much more. His heart was human."

One of the many things she loved about Vision was how much he respected her boundaries. Whenever an initially chaste kiss began to lead to something more, he would always stop to look into her eyes, to make sure that she was comfortable. He was so loving and gentle, and he would always pause to ask her if she was okay. Every so often he would press a gentle kiss to her forehead, knowing that it made her feel both safe and loved.

She would never feel that again.

"I loved him, Pietro. I loved him so much I agreed to end his life when the other alternative way to die was so much more terrifying." The tears spilled down her cheeks. "He must have been terrified. I'll never forgive myself for letting Thanos get to him... If my powers were what they are now none of it had to happen. I could have saved him. I could have stopped that monster from hurting so many people..."

"I keep trying to move on, Pietro. I try, try, and try... but I can't... if I can feel you, why can't I feel him? I don't understand..."

Suddenly her phone started ringing. She reached into her pocket, and saw Clint's name on the screen. Wanda blinked rapidly and tried to sound normal as she answered.

"Hi, Clint."

"Hey, kid. How are you doing? "

"I just..." Clint heard the emotion in her voice.

"Is it a good time? If not that's okay-"

"No, no. It's fine. I'm fine. What is it? "

"It's just Laura and I are going out later, and Cooper and Lila are round a friend's house. We were going to take Nate with us, but we figured it was time he met his auntie Wanda properly. If you don't mind, that is..."

* * *

Bucky seemed better now that he had visited Steve. They gathered around the kitchen counter and raised a glass; none of them were big drinkers and it was early. Sam and Carol had orange juice, Bucky had water, Wanda had jasmine tea. "To Steve." Bucky said, softly.

"To Tony." Sam rose his glass.

"To Nat." Carol lifted her orange juice and glanced at Wanda.

"To Vision." She murmured. They tapped their glasses and mugs.

When Wanda felt that the moment had passed, she brought up Clint's request. "So, Clint and Laura want me to look after Nathaniel... you think you'll manage this evening? I don't think anything will come up. I know Fury said that something might come up any moment... "

"Well..." Sam hesitated. "Well, I guess we'll manage if anything comes up. I doubt anything will happen."

"You should go." Carol said. "It'll do you good."

* * *

Wanda had been gone for an hour. Carol had a mirror, and was tilting it, so a disc of light could be reflected across the room. Goose pounced over and over, pawing and batting at the light.

"You're so funny." She chuckled, before a holographic rectangle appeared, floating above the desk. "Uh oh." She said to herself, when she saw that it was Fury calling. "Boys! Get in here... it's Fury."

"Evening, team. I need you guys to be on standby... I need you guys to safely escort a high profile person through the area. And I have absolute faith in my team to - where's Maximoff?"

"Well... Clint needed a babysitter for Nathaniel. " Sam said, awkwardly. Pause. Fury's single eye glinted beadily at them.

"..._babysitting?"_

"She's been through a lot, you know." Carol spoke up. "She deserves a break."

"She seemed so happy when she left earlier." Bucky added. "Plus who's gonna look after the kid?"

"We can handle it. We have Wonder Woman over there." Sam nodded his head in the direction of Carol. Fury hesitated, before shaking his head.

"Stay on standby..."

They were quiet when the call disconnected. Despite their insistence that they could do it without Wanda, they all knew that she was vital to every mission. There hadn't been many 'big' missions lately, and Wanda had skipped out some of them, still feeling a little fragile, and thinking she wouldn't be needed. Yes, they had Carol, but latest missions had taken a lot longer than they should have without Wanda's telekinesis to help...

"What if we need her?" Bucky was a little apprehensive despite his initial support of Wanda going to look after Nathaniel.

"We have a man with wings and a vibranium shield. We have a supersoldier with a metal arm. And there's me. We can handle this." Carol insisted. "Not to mention, we don't even know when this will happen..."

"Yeah. But knowing our luck, it'll happen when Wanda isn't here... "

And of course it did. Before they knew it, they were in their battlesuits and heading out the door, not noticing the figure standing - no, floating - on the compound roof.

* * *

**_Fun fact: the imagined reaction from Pietro to Wanda and Vision dating is based on a scene from the comics. I can't remember which specific comic it was, but I thought it would be a fun reference to throw in._**


	7. The comfort of a child

Wanda had only met Nathaniel-Pietro a few times.

When she first met him, he had only been a few weeks old. She had held him, and it was here Clint had told her they'd given him a special middle name. Wanda had broke down crying, yet she had been so touched by the gesture. She had grown close to the Barton family during her first year with the team, but then the accords happened. Nathaniel had been one year old when she fled to Europe, and she hadn't seen him for two years (two years or seven? Wanda had given up).

As much as Wanda wanted to see Clint, Laura and the kids during her time as a fugitive, it was simply too risky for her to do so. However, Natasha had been determined to see the kids in those few years. She had taken big risks to get back to the states to see Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel. As a professional spy she did it easily without getting caught.

Wanda wished she could be as skillful and determined as Nat so as to be able to visit the Bartons without getting caught, but the idea of going back to the states terrified her, especially after what she had gone through in the Raft.

In those two years in Europe, she sometimes woke up screaming in the night, feeling the burn of the shock collar. Vision would hold her close, whispering words of comfort and love until she fell asleep once more.

She was going off topic again. Wanda shook her head and focused on what she was currently doing; she was determined to make up for lost time. She now sat cross legged on the floor opposite Nathaniel, helping him with a jigsaw.

"You find the corners first... why don't you look for the corners and I'll find the edges?"

"Okay." He chirped, little hands sorting through the puzzle pieces, while Wanda was looking for the edges, finding any that fitted together.

"Well done! Now which one goes on which corner?" Wanda smiled at the little boy, endeared as he narrowed his eyes at the puzzle box cover which Wanda had propped against a chair leg.

"This here?" He put the green corner in the top left.

"Not quite... look again. Is there a blue corner?" He looked again at the picture and then at the four corners he had set aside.

"This one!" He grabbed the blue corner that corresponded with the puzzle box cover, which had the sky covering most of the top edge.

"Yes! That one. Now I think the green one goes in the opposite corner..." While Nathaniel was fixing the corners, Wanda looked again at the puzzle box cover, to affix the edges. It was a pond under a sunny sky, with some little cartoon style ducklings swimming after their mother.

Wanda had always been maternal. During missions that took place in public, she was always on the look out for children in case they were in the path of danger. If the team ever spotted a child that had been separated from their parents, she was always the one who looked after them and ensured they got back to their parents safely.

The only thing that had troubled her about her relationship with Vision was that having a family with him would never happen, no matter how much she wanted it to. But she hadn't let it bother her much, since being on the run made that impossible anyway. But that didn't stop her from dreaming of a pair of twins, with her smile and Vision's eye colour. It also didn't stop her from imagining what he might be like as a father. She thought he would make a wonderful father; she imagined him being very sweet and attentive. Maybe a little over protective, as he had been with her; but loving nonetheless.

It was nice to dream. Knowing such a dream would never come true, Wanda didn't allow it to stop her from nurturing her maternal side and protective instinct, especially when it came to children.

One time, she and Vision had been walking through Belguim, when they had heard the chilling sound of a woman screaming. They had whirled round, to see a toddler in the road, a little younger than Nathaniel. He was oblivious to the truck bearing down on him, the driver not seeing him. Wanda had felt Vision's hand leave hers as he went to race over, but she knew he wouldn't make it in time. She was faster.

Her hands had flown up, red energy blazing to life, as a wall of her magic casted between the child and the truck. The vehicle crashed to a stop, colliding with the wall of red mist. The windscreen shattered, glass spraying the road, the front of the truck crushed by the force of impact with Wanda's powers. The little boy turned, looking up in confusion and bewilderment at the ruined engine towering above him, oblivious to the close encounter with death he had just had.

The mother had raced into the road, sweeping her son into her arms and hugging him fiercely, sobbing and scolding him at the same time, while onlookers raced to help the driver out of his vehicle. The driver was confused and shaken, a stream of blood running from a cut in his forehead.

At one time, Vision would have raced over to help, but instead, he had wrapped his arms around her. To any onlooker it looked like a hug, but it was actually to hide her glowing hands from the view of onlookers_. _

_"He's okay, Wanda... you saved him..."_

Finally she had snapped out of her trance and the light had faded. They had hurried out of there before someone realized that the red light had not been the truck's indicators. By some miracle, no one saw her, or ever questioned how the front of a truck could spontaneously crush itself. It had been a very close call. Wanda had been torn afterwards, knowing she could have revealed herself and possibly Vision too. While Vision had been worried about her being seen, he had set aside his own worries to reassure her, telling her that she did the right thing.

She shook her head and tried to ignore the brutal feeling in her chest, as though something had her heart in its fist and was trying to crush it.

"Auntie Wanda! I did it!" She blinked and looked back at Nathaniel, who had completed the puzzle while she was lost in memory.

"That's amazing, Nate! Well done. Just wait until your mom and dad get home, they'll be so proud of you." Leaving the completed jigsaw puzzle on the floor, Nathaniel took her by the hand and pulled her outside, to feed the chickens. She found a bucket of grain on the stoop. She held the bucket while Nathaniel grabbed handfuls and began gently scattering it. The chickens hurried over and began pecking at the ground.

Wanda set the bucket down, taking a handful and crouching, holding it out. A russet coloured hen came over, cautiously studying her. She was tentative at first, and then happily pecking at the food in Wanda's hand.

"Aren't you a sweet little thing?"

"Natasha likes you!" Nathaniel exclaimed, and Wanda briefly questioned the unusual name for a chicken; then it dawned on her.

"Her name's Natasha?"

"Yeah! After Auntie Nat. She's like her. She bosses the others around."

"Of course she does. But I'm sure she means well. " Wanda smiled at the russet coloured hen, scooping out another handful for her. "What are the other's names?"

"Queenie, Dolly, and Daisy." It didn't seem as though Nathaniel was brave enough to hand feed the chickens, Wanda noticed. Whenever one came too close he would drop the grain in his hand and take a few steps back.

"Why don't you try handfeed them?"

"What if they bite me?"

"They won't. Here, let me show you. They're sweethearts." She crouched next to him and took his little hand within hers, filling it with grain. She held his hand with hers, and Natasha strode over to them, while Queenie, Dolly and Daisy attacked the bucket of food Wanda had left unattended. The russet hen approached cautiously again, picking up on Nate's fear as he looked at her sharp beak. "It's okay. Just let her come to you."

Nathaniel watched, not daring to move, as Natasha stopped a few inches from his outstretched hand. Gently, she began pecking at the grain in his hand. "See? She won't bite." Wanda said, and the little boy relaxed. There was a pause as Nathaniel looked at the russet coloured chicken.

"I miss Auntie Nat."

"So do I."

"She's gone. Daddy won't tell me. But she's gone like Gramma Edith gone." Wanda heard a catch in the toddler's throat, and turned her head to see tears dripping down his face. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest.

"Oh, sweetie..." She wiped his tears with the hem of her sleeve, finding it very hard not to cry herself. She knew all about losing people. She knew all too well. "I know it hurts... I know. But your godmother was a hero. The bravest woman I ever met. She's not gone. "

"But I'll never see her again..."

"I know, precious. But you have good memories of her, don't you? You know his much she loved you. The risks she took to see you... "

"Yeah..."

"Nobody's really gone, as long as you remember them." Nathaniel considered this, before nodding. She wiped away the last of his tears, and he finally offered her a smile. They finished up feeding the hens, before heading back inside.

Wanda looked in the fridge, and found a carton of apple juice, about to pour him a cup. "Auntie Wanda, can you show me your powers? Auntie Nat always said you could do magic."

Wanda paused, hesitant. Her powers were dangerous, she had used them to do such destructive things, things that would terrify the little boy. And yet, she felt comfortable and happy in the Barton house. She hadn't felt this happy in months... and the memories of Vision and Natasha she'd had. They hadn't been painful ones at all. Their deaths, or how they happened, had never crossed her mind.

"Okay. But I'll only do little things. I'm not going to make the tractor fly around the yard..."

"Could you?" Nathaniel's eyes widened.

"I could, but I won't." She chuckled. "Your mom and dad probably wouldn't appreciate it. I don't want to freak out the chickens...

Wanda put down the carton of juice, and with the flick of a wrist, the carton lifted off the counter, floating on her magic. She tilted the carton and filled the cup, before moving the cup of juice toward him. Nathaniel's eyes grew wide with awe as it floated across the kitchen and to his hands. "Wow!" He went to clap his hands, before hesitating and glancing at Wanda. She laughed, taking the cup with her magic again, allowing him to clap without dropping it.

Wanda used her powers for the rest of the day to entertain Nathaniel, to his delight. They played jenga, Wanda using her magic to do so. As she was focusing on which block to remove, she thought about what she said. _Nobody's gone, as long as you remember them. _This made her smile, and suddenly her pain felt less raw.

She suddenly noticed Nathaniel leaning against a cushion, his head hanging as he began to fall asleep. She smiled and stood, picking him up and carrying him upstairs. She tucked him into bed, and thought to herself that this would probably be the closest she would ever get to being a mother.

She used her powers to tuck the covers under Nathaniel's chin. She could be an auntie Wanda, happily.

Wanda sat on a couch, and found her eyelids drooping. Maybe have a nap wouldn't hurt. Nathaniel was sound asleep, and it was his bedtime anyway. Five minutes...

* * *

_"You could have saved me! Why didn't you stop him?"_

Wanda turned around, and her blood turned to ice at the horrifying sight.

Vision.

In her nightmares, if Vision wasn't slowly breaking apart from her magic, or dangling from Thanos' hand, he was laying on the ground, grey and lifeless. He looked exactly as he had in the moment before Wanda faded away, except this time he was standing.

He stood there, grey, the colour gone from his empty eyes, blank but staring at her. There were two gouges in his torso, a crevice of wires where his forehead had been, like a bird's nest that had just had it's precious contents snatched by a predator. The mind stone that had given him life for three years, torn out just so Thanos could use it for not even three minutes.

Wanda frantically crawled back, terrified. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

A pair of wires lashed around his wrist, lifting his arm so it reached toward her like some kind of horrifying puppet on strings. The strings made him seize her by the collar, the density increasing in his fist as he aimed for her skull. There was a cold, cruel voice of a man laughing in the background.

_"No!"_

Wanda sat bolt upright, crying out in horror. She leapt up and raced out into the porch, where she collapsed against a wooden column, gasping for breath. She slumped to the ground, covering her face with both hands, her body beginning to wrack with sobs. Rain fell, thunder murmuring in the distance. The rain trickled down the soil under the porch, soaking her leggings. Wanda trembled under the porch, rocking slightly back and forth, whispering frantically to herself that it wasn't real.

"Auntie Wanda?" She heard a frightened voice from inside the house. She instinctively leapt up and went back inside to see Nathaniel at the bottom of the stairs. He stood in the doorway, wide eyed, teddy bear hanging from one hand. "I'm scared of storms..." Then he blinked . "Why are you sad?"

"It's okay, Nate. I... I... " Wanda frantically wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She may have been the telepath, but Nathaniel had seen the look before. He knew.

"Daddy has bad dreams too." Nathaniel said. He toddled across the floor, and opened his arms. Wanda knelt to his level, and hugged him.


	8. A figure

While Wanda tried to get the horrifying dream out of her head, the unseen figure from the compound roof was watching Carol and Bucky from the woods.

Bucky was anxiously drumming his metal fingers onto his motorcycle, while Carol was regretting not calling Wanda; she had a strange feeling, as though something bad were about to happen. She was on high alert, constantly scanning the surroundings. Sam was their eyes from above, watching for any sign of an ambush or sight of this assassin. Both Redwing and his scanners weren't picking up anything.

They were on a rural back road a few miles from New York. Carol feared little, but there was on an ominous feeling in the air, and the dark trees were unsettling. Their roots looked like deformed claws, twisting and strangling one another as they pierced the earth. The gnarls and crevices in the bark were warping into grinning faces. The light snow under the trees created an eerie and overwhelming silence.

"Who exactly are we protecting again? " Bucky asked, interjecting her uneasy thoughts.

"Fury said that he is a witness to a crime and he's under protection. That's all he would say."

"I feel kind of useless..."

"Don't be ridiculous." Carol shook her head.

"Well, you two can fly, but me -"

"Hey, no more of that talk. You think too little of yourself." Sam replied, over the channel. Yes, they had a major rivalry and their conversations consisted mostly of jibes at each other's flaws, but beyond that there was genuine friendship. They'd grown closer, especially since Steve had passed away.

Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder, and then rain began to fall. A few drops at first, and then a downpour. Freezing rain fell, washing away the snow and sludge that lined the road. Driving conditions would have been hell, but luckily this road was gritted.

"Oh, great. Who pissed Thor off?" Carol narrowed her eyes against the rain.

A bulletproof limousine pulled round the corner. "Here we go." Bucky straightened. "Fury said it would have that number plate."

The car slowed to a stop. It flashed it's right indicator three times and Carol and Bucky nodded, hopping onto their motorcycles. Bucky looked at the two armed motorcyclists behind the limo who had been sent as extra protection. They shifted uncomfortably at his gaze and refused to meet his eyes.

Yes, the Winter Soldier still scared people, even after a pardoning from the government. So why did he get the feeling that these two motorcyclists were afraid of something else? He turned his back on them and began driving alongside the limo, the pair bringing up the rear, while Carol drove out in front. It made more sense for Sam to fly, since Carol would be a beacon of light for miles, and they were trying to draw as little attention as possible.

"The rain complicates things, guys. I'm finding it hard to see up here." Sam suddenly had an alert come on screen of his goggles. Redwing, malfunctioning. "What's going on?" He lifted his wrist and attempted some adjustments, but his drone wasn't responding.

"Sam? Everything okay?"

"I don't know..."

Automatically, he ejected a new Redwing from his pack, and the new drone zoomed past his head. The malfunctioning one was behind him. Sam looked under his wing, looking for any sign of it. Maybe the rain was making it malfunction; it may have been struck by lightning.

Sam's goggles displayed the outline of his drone. His screen showed a crushed scrap of metal, scrunched up like a piece of paper, falling through the sky.

Sam felt a presence. The hairs on the back of his neck raised. He wasn't alone. His grip tightened on the shield and he reached for his gun.

It was this moment Sam felt something grab him from behind.

Startled, he released a short shriek, and tried to free himself, shooting his gun blindly, thrusting the shield backwards; whatever held him should have been in close enough proximity for him to at least touch with the shield, but he didn't feel anything.

Then his wings were lashing wildly, pulling him in every direction as more damage was done to his pack. It was like when Scott Lang had gotten into his wingpack, except this time, he could feel the damage being done to the pack. His wings went limp and then his goggles were wrenched off his head.

Then, whatever was holding him let go. Sam realized with panic that he could no longer fly. He was falling through space, tumbling in the darkness and the rain, hurtling toward the tree canopy. The parachute was inside the pack itself, so it wasn't an option. He was falling to his death.

Bucky and Carol looked up from their motorcycles, when they heard screaming. Despite the rain, they saw Sam, plummeting from the sky, the shield tumbling through the air alongside him.

"Sam!" Bucky yelled, while Carol began to glow, knowing that Sam would be a dead man unless she did something. She lifted off the road, tossing the motorcycle to the side so the limo could continue on, before flying up toward Sam like a firework. She reached out and caught him before he hit the tree canopy. He held onto her for dear life, trying to ignore the shocks her binary form was giving him.

"What the hell is going on?" Carol exclaimed. "Your wingpack!"

"Guys!" Bucky screamed over the channel. "What's happening?"

Then he heard gunshots. There was a popping sound and then a horrible screech, and then he went flying off the motorcycle. Grit and stones flew as he rolled across the dirt road, the two dark motorcyclists shooting past him and not slowing down. Eventually, he came to a stop when he collided, head first, with a tree stump on the side of the road.

Bucky's head spun and he saw stars. Groaning, he tried to move but felt a wave of nausea and pain radiate through him from the blow to his head.

He covered his head, delirious, not noticing whoever it was suddenly flying at speed toward the limo, which raced ahead in an attempt to escape. The figure phased through the vehicle, like how Ava Starr would walk through a wall. There was the sound of screaming from inside the vehicle that ended quickly.

It happened fast. The limo suddenly veered off the road and there was a sickening sound of tires screeching and then a crash. The figure emerged from the trees and headed toward Bucky, unseen in the weather conditions. Carol, seeing the limo go flying off the road, raced back to earth, dropping Sam as soon as it was safe. She flew into the trees, lighting up the forest, to where the limo had gone.

The glow of her binary form exposed the damage left behind by the out of control vehicle. As Carol flew through it, she realized that the forest was a death trap with the mud and snow; the car had skidded through the undergrowth, crushing the bracken, the ground a grey-brown where the tires had churned mud and snow together. She saw the lights of the car up ahead and sped on toward the wreckage.

"Carol, wait!" Yelled Sam, leaping to his feet and running a short distance before panicking, realizing that Bucky was no where in sight. "Buck! Where are you?"

There was a groan from the earpiece.

"Still on the road..."

"What?" Sam frantically looked back toward the road, and saw something further down. Through the rain, he saw two dark forms. One was on the ground, struggling to stand, while the other dark figure stood over him eerily, not moving a muscle.

Sam seized his gun and took aim, when he realized the figure on the floor was Bucky. He saw the thing turn it's head like a deer in headlights, and although he couldn't see it's face, he knew it was staring at him. All Sam could tell was that the figure was tall, and in the dark and the rain, he couldn't see it's face.

But for some reason, Sam didn't pull the trigger. He didn't know why he couldn't bring himself to shoot, but it was too late to question it, as Sam saw a bolt of light emerge where it's neck would be. The figure's head jolted in response, and then it turned and disappeared into the woods, disappearing out of view as smoothly and fluidly as a ghost. The two motorcycles paused at the side of the road, but the people on them didn't step off to help. With a screech of tires, they flew out of sight down the road.

"They shot out my tire... It was a set up..." Bucky continued, apparently oblivious to the fact the someone had been standing eerily over him.

Sam looked down to his wrist, and ordered the new Redwing drone to follow the motorcyles. The drone zoomed off in the direction of the motorcyclists, the cloaking device activating, meaning it eventually vanished. With this done, he raced down the road to help Bucky up.

Sam pulled him off the ground, and Bucky staggered, the blow to his head making him unsteady. "Did you just notice someone standing over you?"

"Wha?" Bucky said, vaguely, answering Sam's question. "No... you okay?"

"Yeah, fine... I just wasn't expecting... "

"Sam! Bucky!" Carol yelled from the forest. Sam eased Bucky to sit down on a boulder, for he was clearly still delirious. Then he ran ahead to where Carol stood by the ruins of the car, which had crashed into a large tree. "The driver and the guy. They're..."

He raced over and prayed that she wasn't going to say it, but when he saw the two people in the limo, he withheld the urge to be sick. Their heads were caved in, eyes sightless and staring into space. It was as though something - like a fist-sized stone - had been brutally struck against their skulls. This was all Sam could imagine before he looked away, unable to look anymore. Carol stared at them, eyes filled with horror.

"How did this happen? How could we let it happen?"

"Carol... it's my fault. If I hadn't let that thing attack me -"

"What the hell happened up there?" She whirled round, genuine anger blazing in her eyes. Whatever did this was going to pay. "Did you see it?"

"Whatever it was, it took out one of my drones. Then it crushed my pack, and took off my goggles! But no, I didn't see it. It happened so fast, I never saw anything..."

"What the hell is it? What could it be?" Sam blinked, frowning.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that..."

"What?"

"...Nothing. Nothing at all."


	9. Madness

Wanda landed in a cloud of red magic on the compound lawn. She began pacing, barely noticing that she had singed the grass with the force of her magic.

Somehow she had managed to hide how shaken she was from Clint and Laura, and now that she was away from the farm, at a safe distance, she let herself feel. She dug her fingers into her hair. "It's alright, it's alright..." Tucking Nathaniel into bed and reading him a bedtime story hadn't helped calm her down. She was a mess. She could only hope that Nathaniel wouldn't tell Clint or Laura about her 'bad dream'.

"It's okay." She said aloud to herself. "You're home now. You can forget about it."

_Oh, no, no. If only life were that easy. You had a wonderful evening followed by the murdered love of your life's corpse trying to kill you. Of course you won't forget it! _A mocking voice reminded her.

"Shut up." she muttered, as she stepped into the building. She sat on her bed, holding her head in her hands. The tears didn't come this time. She had cried so much, so many times, that she didn't think she had any left. "Get over it. Get over it... " Her voice shook.

That was by far the most terrifying dream about Vision that she had ever had.

How on earth could her subconscious craft such a cruel nightmare? It was as if her dormant magic - the kind she still possessed but chose not to use, the power to make people see their worst fears - had resurfaced, only this time it was attacking _her_.

Maybe it was a one off. A horrible kick to the stomach after a such a peaceful evening, perhaps to punish her for thinking she was moving onto the next stage grief; the upward turn, where things began to look up. For a few hours that evening she thought she was healing, but she had been proven so very wrong.

Or... what if it meant something? What if it was a sign, a warning? But what of? What meaning could it possibly have?

Wanda looked at the photo on her bedside table. Next to her ring collection and a Himalayan salt lamp, Vision smiled at her, as sweet and bashful as she remembered. It was one of the few photos she had of him where he was in his natural form. She took the photo frame in her hands, fingertips resting on the glass pane. She couldn't recall where the photo was taken. Maybe it was a few months before Edinburgh...

_He's gone. It couldn't mean anything..._

A soft 'meow' stirred her. Wanda looked to her right, realizing that Goose had been curled up among her pillows. He rose and padded across the quilt, paws leaving soft indents in the fabric. He bumped his head against her arm, before he climbed onto her lap. Wanda stroked his head, breathing deeply, comforted by his presence. She felt a little calm descend over her after a few minutes. He looked up at her with big green eyes, as if to ask, _Are you okay? _She nodded to show him that she was.

"Thanks, Goose... "

Wanda left him to curl up on her bed in peace. She left her room, looking around in confusion; where was everyone? Normally someone would greet her when she came in. Reaching out, Wanda could sense the minds of Sam, Carol, and Bucky in the room where hologram calls took place.

Wanda found herself stepping into a chaotic scene.

Sam's pack lay in pieces on a table, and Sam himself was sorting through the pieces to see what could be salvaged. Bucky had dried blood on his face, holding an ice pack to the side of his head. Carol had opened the channel and was talking to an alien who appeared to be hovering in the hologram.

"You're positive none of your people are on Earth right now? I'm only asking because there was something involved in this that could fly."

"Absolutely not, Danvers. We have no quarrel with C-53 -"

"What the hell is going on?" Wanda demanded, just one of a hundred other questions she wanted to ask. They hadn't noticed her enter, so they were all startled. Carol glanced worriedly at her and then at Sam and Bucky, leaving them to explain while she finished the call.

"Uh... So. How was Nate?"

"Forget that, what happened?" Sam and Bucky explained while Carol finished her call with the alien woman. Wanda listened in shock as they told her about Fury's call, their mission to escort a protected person - Fury's mysterious source, as it turned out - through some backroads, and how it had been a set up. They had tried to inform him but Fury wasn't responding to their attempted calls.

"We were wrecked." Sam said, bluntly. "Something could fly and whatever it was, it crushed my pack and pulled off my goggles, and it destroyed one of my drones. If Carol hadn't caught me..."

"And the guy and his driver got hit in the heads with blunt objects... or something. We never stood a chance. " Bucky finished.

"The Hydra assassin?" Wanda asked, with horror, and they nodded. She took a moment, her powers surging through her wrists and to her palms. There was a link between her emotions and her powers - being broken over and over had unlocked them from their cage. Now that they were stronger it was more difficult to hide when she was feeling angry or distressed.

She could control them, yes, but sometimes she allowed them to stretch their wings. Carol had finished the call, and she turned, noticing this. Similar to Wanda, she had moments where she lost control, and energy would crackle in her fingers whether she intended to or not.

Wanda couldn't mask her mood anymore. The horrible image of Vision's corpse, being moved around on strings like a horrific puppet, followed by this news, made something within her snap. Sam and Bucky also noticed her glowing hands, casting worried - and nervous - looks her way.

"Wanda, are you okay? Has something happened?"

"I could have helped... why didn't you call?"

"We thought about it... but Fury just thought it would be a simple escort through a forest backroad... we thought we would manage. And we also figured you needed -"

"I don't need protecting, Carol."

"I was gonna say a break."

"Your mind says otherwise." Wanda said, testily. Carol's eyes flashed but she didn't look away, a little unnerved but not afraid of her.

"Look, Wanda... you've been through a lot , and we didn't want to stress you out for no reason -'

"What would you know about what I went through? You weren't there! What do you know about love, or me, for that matter? You don't know me at all!"

Silence filled the room. The two women looked at each other. Carol kept her gaze steady as she met Wanda's faintly glowing - and slightly unhinged - eyes. She knew that Wanda didn't mean it, that emotion could make people say unspeakable things.

"You're right." Carol said. "I wasn't there when you guys needed me the most, and I'm sorry. If I had known, if I could turn back time -"

"Don't talk to me about turning back time!" Wanda snapped. Carol cursed herself for the choice of words.

"Listen," Sam said, gently. "You love Nathaniel. We didn't want to spoil your evening. We thought looking after him would make you happy."

There was a pause. Wanda blinked and seemed to escape her trance. The dream had messed with her mind, and it was wrong for her to take it out in them when they had had purely kind intentions. Her powers ceased and she slumped down into a chair, covering her face with one hand. The tension finally broke.

"I'm sorry. " she murmured. "I know you were just being considerate. I just... I felt like one thing in my life was going right and then I had that dream, and I came back to this... my head is all over the place.I feel like I'm losing my mind... "

"Dream?" Bucky asked, cautiously.

"I drifted off after Nate went to bed. It was brief, but... horrific. It's one I've never had before."

"It's okay, Wanda." Carol crossed the room and hugged her; all was forgiven. "We get it. We all have bad dreams. It's normal." Wanda made a mental note to apologize to Carol in private.

"Wanda." Sam began steering the conversation back to what happened. "What happened today... my pack was crushed, not shot out or anything. Someone may as well have crushed it in their hands, which is impossible, I was in the air and the pack was recently fortified with vibranium. I never saw what did it. "

"Whatever it was, it could fly, and was strong enough to crush the wingpack..." Carol said, deep in thought. "What could it be? Alien, drone, enhanced..."

Sam and Wanda shared a look - they were both thinking how eerily similar it was to a particular someone's skillset. Wanda looked at the ground, eyes glazing over. There was a mental block in her brain that had been built during her grief, and that brief nightmare reinforced what she believed. She dismissed it as coincidence. Sam looked at her, trying to decipher whether bringing up the possibility would get him thrown through a window.

_Could it be possible...? No. Surely not... _Sam was unsure though, and the idea didn't exactly leave his mind.

"Any more ideas?" Wanda didn't meet his eyes.

"We have some theories. Peter Parker told us that Adrian Toombes recovered things from past battles, using it to make weapons and advanced technology. I can't imagine he was the only one... it's possible someone rebuilt one of Ultron's sentries. That could be what attacked me in the air. And we know Hydra tried that before with Ultimo."

"Or maybe the assassin themself was in the car, undercover." Carol suggested. "That explains how he managed to take out the driver and target... but then that doesn't really explain how he managed to get to Bucky so quickly and without injuring himself..."

"He did that to you?" Wanda looked at Bucky, who had briefly put down the ice pack to reveal a swollen wound on his face.

"No. My tire got shot out and I hit my face on a tree stump." Bucky mumbled. "And apparently he was standing over me and I never noticed, which is unbelievably creepy... but he managed to get from a wrecked car to me very quickly. Like... impossibly fast."

"But there was something else. When he was standing over Bucky... before he vanished, I saw light around his neck. Like... a shock collar, or something." Sam said.

"So... maybe they're not doing this willingly." Wanda felt a stab of pity, and disturbance. She remembered what it was like to be in a shock collar. Her fingers drifted to the side of her neck, and she felt a slight wrinkling and two indents in the skin, where the prongs had pierced her neck and an electronic burn had taken longer to heal. She shivered and dropped her hand.

"What did they look like? "

"Uh... I think it was a guy... and he was tall." Wanda waited for more, but Sam didn't say another word.

"A tall man." She said, dryly. "That certainly narrows it down. We've got him cornered -"

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a crashing sound as something came flying through the window. Shards of glass sprayed the room, and they had one moment for register that it was Redwing before the drone opened fire.

Instinctively they began screaming and diving for cover. The drone shot toward Wanda but her hands flew up, casting her magic as a shield. The drone ricocheted off and flew wildly around the room, striking the walls, knocking off ornaments and equipment, all while continuing to shoot. Bucky dived under the table as one blast missed him by inches. Sam seized his shield and crouched behind it, staring out in bewilderment at his possessed drone.

"Sam! What in the name of -!" Yelled Carol, her helmet forming around her head as the drone continued to whizz around the room like a bird on drugs.

"What the f-" Sam frantically tried to reach the wrist device to control Redwing. It lay on the table, but the drone continued to open fire, and he couldn't reach it without risk of being hit. Carol leapt across the room and seized the device, but Redwing didn't respond no matter how many times she tried.

"Where's the alien cat when you need him?" Bucky yelled.

Finally, Wanda seized the drone in the air with her powers. Redwing still resisted and didn't respond, even when Carol threw the wrist device to Sam and he tried, swiping the screen, pressing buttons, even trying his goggles, but the drone continued to struggle against Wanda's powers.

"It's not working -"

Wanda lost patience. She pushed a wave of her magic through the drone, and there was the sound of electrical circuits being fried before it fell harmlessly to the floor, still and silent. They looked at the drone in stunned silence.

"What the hell was that?" Bucky slowly emerged from under the table.

Wanda approached it, hands glowing, ready to move in case it came back to life. She lifted it with her powers, moving it into the table. They all moved forwards cautiously.

"Sam, would Redwing ever malfunction?"

"No..." Sam was staring at the drone, eyes full of shock and confusion. "It's programmed to automatically shut off it's weapons if it malfunctions. It's been hijacked... "

"Uh... am I the only one seeing _that?" _Carol pointed at the wing.

Carved into the wing of the drone was a message.

_You have been warned._

_\- Siren._

There was a long pause. They all stared at the message in silence before looking at one another.

"And what the hell does that mean?"


	10. Hijacked

Wanda had a bad feeling.

She didn't know what it was. It wasn't just the prospect of facing a secret former Hydra cell and a deadly assassin that was making her uneasy. She had faced a lot scarier, a lot worse. But it was almost as though if she went any further, she would discover something she wouldn't like. Something horrifying. She hadn't felt this way since Wakanda.

When they first left the compound rain had lashed against the quinjet windows, making it almost impossible to see out of it, and turbulence had made the jet shudder. They had eventually escaped the storm and headed north, passing the Canadian border.

Any rain had soon turned to snow as the temperature fell, and now that they had flown many miles from New York, they were headed into a tundra zone. Wanda kept glancing outside, seeing any sign of civilisation dwindle as they headed into the wilderness. They were now flying over a spruce forest, snow covering the ground and the branches. It would be captivating if she wasn't so worried.

"Is this definitely the right way, Sam?" Carol looked at their surroundings, doubtful. "I don't understand how two motorcyclists could get here so fast... or without freezing to death."

"Pity." Wanda said, dryly.

"Maybe they got on a aircraft, or Redwing started following something else..." Sam casted a doubtful glance at the screen, and at the hijacked Redwing drone, which lay on the jet floor. Wanda also casted a glance at it, looking at the ominous carving.

They had been discussing the message and what 'Siren' could mean, but conversation had really started to die down as midnight passed. Sam insisted he would fly if they wanted some rest. Bucky was now asleep in his seat, a blanket thrown over him. They had been a little worried by the prospect of bringing him, due to his head injury, but the modified super soldier serum had eased away his concussion faster than the average person. His bruise already looked lighter. Wanda, frankly, was too afraid to fall asleep with the dream still lingering on her mind.

Trying to distract herself, she typed 'Siren' into the brand new computer they had on the quinjet. It was a holographic screen, with the search results in the upper half and a holographic keyboard on the lower half. Predictably, the only results for Siren spoke of monstrous women luring sailors to their deaths with their irresistible song. So what the hell did 'Siren' refer to? Some sort of riddle? A person? An organisation? She touched the wrong part of the screen and her current search results vanished.

"I don't understand this new technology." She muttered. A lot of technological advances had happened in five years, and she had missed it all.

"At least your last interaction with modern technology wasn't a pager or dial up internet. I was thrown into the deep end when I came back to Earth the second time." Carol remarked, from where she was fiddling with the device that controlled her uniform colours. Wanda heard her curse under her breath. "I need an upgrade myself..."

Wanda chuckled, not moving her eyes from the hologram. "You could pull off any colour."

"Even _this_ colour?" Wanda finally looked away from the screen and held in a laugh. Carol's uniform was now a hideous combination of hot pink and neon yellow.

"Maybe a softer tone might suit you better." Carol laughed and affixed the colours to red, yellow and blue. Wanda gave up with the computer and turned in the chair face her. "Carol, I just wanted to say sorry for earlier... what I said. I never should have... "

"There's no need." Carol glanced up with a kind smile. "I understand why you lashed out... we all have moments like that."

"I was out of line..."

"I get it, Wanda. I really do. Nightmares can ruin your whole day." Carol looked down the ship. Bucky was asleep, and Sam was piloting the jet. That was normally Carol's job, but she had wanted to talk to Wanda. "Do you want to talk about this dream of yours?" Wanda hesitated, that faraway look taking over her eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No... it's fine. If I talk about it I might feel better. I dreamed about Vision. It... it was terrifying. He was dead, but his body was being controlled by strings... he was trying to hurt me. It felt so real. "

Carol listened to this, eyes wide with shock, at how disturbing that was. "That's... That's awful. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay." Her brother. The Raft prison. Thanos and the Black Order. Vision. Nightmares were an old friend who Wanda couldn't run from.

"I never met him. I wish I had, though. Natasha and Steve talked about him and you a lot." Carol sat down opposite her. "What was he like?"

"He... he was a wonderful person. Sweet, kind, unsure of everything. One of the reasons I loved him. We loved the same things. I taught him how to be human, and it turned out he loved the human things I did. Books, movies, chess, music, although our tastes in music were wildly different. And ourselves we were complete opposites..."

"In what way?"

"Well... put it this way. He was a being of order, while I was... chaos. He was innocent. He was good. I did terrible things. I used to make people see their worst fears and relive their most painful memories, because back then I didn't know how it felt..."

"Natasha told me about Sokovia. You were manipulated by Ultron - I know all about manipulation. It can turn you into a different person but it's not the real you. Now I don't know much about romance, but I do know a bit about love."

"Maria and Monica." Wanda nodded. "I'm sorry for what I said..."

"That's not what this is about. From what Nat told me, Vision didn't care about any of that. He loved you. Nothing you could have ever done would stop him from loving you."

"Except those last moments..." Wanda closed her eyes, nails digging into her other hand. Carol reached to cover her hand.

"He wouldn't hate you. He wouldn't want you to beat yourself up so much. Neither of you could have known what Thanos would have done... if he had known, he would never have made you do it. You need to stop blaming, stop tormenting yourself, for what happened. You are stronger than you think. You will get through this, I promise."

Wanda nodded her head, gaze moving inward as she retreated come again into her thoughts.

"Look alive. We're getting close to where Redwing got before turning back." Sam called out, from the pilot's seat. Wanda and Carol glanced up and made their way to the front of the jet. "Someone wake up the old man from his nap."

"The old man is already awake." Bucky said, rising from his seat. "Where are we now?"

"Hudson Bay."

Wanda looked at the screen, and saw a red circle that was approaching, presumably the point where Redwing was hijacked. Whether it lead to the hideout was unknown, but if the drone was hijacked here, it was possible.

"Apparently it was here..." Sam said, pointing at the screen. A white triangle for that represented the jet had entered the red circle, but as they all looked outside, there was absolutely no sign of civilisation or a building, or anything at all.

"It's just forest..." Wanda murmured. "What could have possibly -"

Their eyes all moved simultaneously to the screens of the cockpit. Lights were flashing. A distorted voice began to trickle out of the speakers, words indistinguishable as the ship and whatever it was battled for control.

"I think we're being hacked -" before Sam could finish his sentence, the distorted sound grew clear. The cold voice of a man, that none of them recognised.

_"We told you to stay away." _

A cold feeling flooded the ship, as though a window had opened, letting in all the arctic air from outside. Wanda's hands began to glow instinctively, as she sensed that something was very wrong.

The screens stopped flashing and the horrible distorted voice fell silent. They were unprepared as the quinjet shuddered violently, and the force of the shaking made Wanda lose her footing.

Carol approached the window, pressing her hands and eyes to the glass to see out. In the darkness she saw a shape on the wing.

"There's something outside." Before anyone could respond to that, there was a horrible screech of metal, and the jet shuddered once more. The ship AI spoke.

_"Critical engine damage." _ The meaning of this sentence registered just before the ship began to fall.


	11. Game of survival

The quinjet began to plunge through the air.

Wanda, Bucky and Carol, who had been standing, were thrown backwards. Wanda summoned a cocoon of energy around all of them before they could hit the back of the quinjet. Carol sprang to her feet and began fighting to open the jet door, her plan being to grab the jet and stop it from falling. She pulled levers and pressed buttons, but the door wouldn't open.

Wanda used her magic to propel herself to the window, trying to look outside to see what Carol had seen, but she saw nothing but clouds racing past. What she did see was that half of the jet wing was missing, as though it had been ripped off.

"What the hell?" She whispered.

_Whack. _The ship shuddered, and Wanda slipped. She flew across the ship floor, coming to a stop when she slammed into a corner of metal. She released a sharp cry, pain radiating throughout her ribs.

"Wanda!" Exclaimed Carol. Wanda clutched her side, gasping, and then they all looked down at the same time, hearing the thumping noises and screech of metal beneath their feet; under the floor, where the engine was. Lights flashed on and off. Something was attacking the underside of the quinjet.

_"This is impossible!"_ someone, Wanda couldn't quite tell who, cried out.

"Sam! Open the door! It won't let me open it!" Carol yelled, as she pulled Bucky to a seat so he had something to hold onto. Sam frantically looked over this shoulder, where he was trying to regain control of the jet. The screens were flashing wildly, and the jet didn't respond however many buttons or levers he touched. He pressed his hand to the barely-used scanner in an attempt to take back control.

"Sam Wilson!"

"Access denied."

"Falcon!"

"Access denied."

"Goddamit, Stark! _We don't have time for guessing games!" _He frantically looked at them, eyes wide with fear. "The door is jammed! Everything on the ship is frozen, something's hacked the system - it's trapping us in here!"

"Then unhack it! " Bucky cried out.

They desperately tried something, anything. They tried to bring up any camera footage, but they were offline.

The words, 'critical system failure' appeared on the screen. Now it wasn't just the engine, but the whole ship. The lights went out completely. They blindly fumbled about in the dark, staggering, the ship rocking and shaking as it gained speed. Carol looked at the others. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I'm going outside! I'll catch the ship!" She opened the emergency hatch and disappeared through it in a bolt of light, but the hatch didn't slam shut automatically. It banged against the roof of the ship and went flying off it's hinge.

Anything not attached to the quinjet was sucked through the gap immediately. The force was straining Sam in his seat, attempting to drag Wanda and Bucky through it. The wind tearing at her hair, Wanda tried to ignore the fiery pain in her side.

She seized a pipe on the ship wall with one hand and threw out her other, her powers sealing the emergency hatch. She struggled to keep the gap sealed, her grip tightening on the wall, her powers struggling as she felt that familiar wave of panic wash over her.

They waited for the ship to stop falling, to see the glowing light of Carol's binary form outside. They waited. And waited. Yet the ship continued to plunge, gaining speed, and all outside was dark.

Wanda felt for Carol's conciousness; all was quiet.

"Carol! Do you copy?" Silence. _"Carol! _Are you okay?"

They looked at one another. There was no time to question what happened to Carol, for the ship was now in a nosedive.

Bucky looked at her, terror filling his eyes. "You have to stop the ship!"

Wanda froze when she looked at the eyes of Bucky and Sam. That look of pure terror and fear. Her heart began to race at how familiar it was. They looked at her in the same way _he_ had. The knowing that she was their only chance of escape, and this time, of their survival.

_"We are out of time." _Vision had said, holding her hand to his face.

_No. We're not. _Those first days without him had been the hardest. Those days were gone. Wanda had at first believed that all she wanted was to join him, to be in pain no longer. But now she knew she wanted to live. Like Carol said.

_"You will get through this, I promise." _

They were going to survive. She would make sure of it.

Wanda looked around the jet. Yes, she had stopped a train once, while being aboard, and she was much more powerful now. But that was years ago, and she hadn't practised anything like this - stopping a falling hovercraft while being inside it - ever.

"Hold onto something!" She cried. She clenched her fist, and her powers pulled at the metal roof, stretching the metal to seal the emergency hatch. Her hands glowed more fiercely than they had in months.

_We're going to live._

Wanda summoned her powers and tried to envision the jet. She held onto the ship wall with one hand, free hand stretched out and glowing scarlet. Wanda desperately tried to stop the ship from falling any further, her magic filling the air.

_We're going to live..._

Despite the cocoon of energy protecting her, she was being tossed about constantly by the shaking ship. She felt the agonising pain in her side from hitting the metal corner. She couldn't concentrate. Her red magic moved through the metal around them, but it wasn't enough. She couldn't stop it... Her trembling fingers stretched further, red light continuing to flow. It wasn't enough...

The ship wasn't slowing down. The ground hurtled closer. Bucky and Sam started to scream. She had seconds to make a decision.

_We're not going to -_

"Get close to me! Now!" Wanda screamed, using her powers to force herself to stand up.

Bucky pulled himself over to her. Sam was furthest, and as the shaking jet prevented him from reaching them, she grabbed him with her magic and pulled him into the circle. Wanda let go of the wall and put all of her focus on surrounding them all in a cocoon of red energy. She felt the strain on her powers. Her magic was burning through her veins like wildfire. Her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest.

"Hold on! This never ends well!"

For the first time in months Wanda felt Vision's consciousness, and in that terrifying moment, she thought it was because she was going to die. Her eyes blazed scarlet fire, the blazing light of her magic forcing Sam and Bucky to shield their eyes.

The quinjet split open as it collided with some pine trees, slicing off several trunks as it passed. The bubble of red energy came forth as Wanda's powers grew too much for the ship to contain. Her concentration was finally broken as they burst into the icy air. The magical shield died, launching them in different directions.


	12. Connections

Wanda, still glowing like a flare, went flying into a snow drift. Bucky was thrown through some pine branches before he disappeared from view. Sam curled himself behind the shield before he hit the snow; with a yell he went flying down the hill as his shield hit the snow at just the right angle.

Moments later the echoes of his yells were drowned out by the ear splitting crash of the quinjet as it finally crashed to earth. The the echoes lasted for a long few moments, before fading once more to silence.

Wanda bolted out of the snow with a cry of shock. The cold took her breath away, and the pain in her side wasn't helping. She looked around, eyes snapping from the trees to the snow to the dark sky above.

She felt a surge of panic when she looked around and saw no sign of her friends. She reached out with trepidation to feel for the consciousness of all three of them, and was relieved to detect them all. They had all survived. Wanda put a hand over her heart, relieved, before a million questions filled her head.

Where was Carol? What happened? How did it happen? Who, what, why?

Wanda stumbled to her feet, hearing the soft crunch of snow with each step. It had been raining back in New York and at the Barton house, but the north end of Hudson Bay was a different climate altogether. Temperatures weren't a discomfort, they were dangerous, the snow several feet deep. Shivering, she summoned her magic to warm her hands.

She reached to lift her shirt to have a look to see where the metal corner had struck her, before remembering. Yes, she loved wearing her corset. It was specially made, from a protective material similar to kevlar. But it wasn't exactly easy to look at any potential injury while wearing it.

She lightly pressed her fingertips above the area where she had struck it, and winced. It hurt, but it wasn't unbearable. She was sure that if one of her ribs were broken or cracked she would know it. She would probably just be badly bruised.

Of all the minds she felt, Bucky was nearest. Wanda looked around, confused. She could feel him nearby but couldn't see him. There was a shake of branches up above her. Wanda glanced up, expecting to see an owl, but she was surprised instead to see Bucky, dangling by his metal arm, from halfway up a tree. In any other situation it would have been funny, and she would have teased him that now was not the right time to go birdwatching, but now she could only just blink up at him.

"I'm up a tree." Bucky mumbled. "Please help me down."

Wanda created a cloud of her magic around him.

"Let go of the branch!" Bucky was incredibly reluctant to do so. "Come on, we just survived crashing a quinjet. You can fall a few feet!" Bucky eventually let go, and she safely brought him to the ground.

"Thank you..." He pulled a few pine needles out of his hair, dusting snow off himself.

"Are you okay? Nothing broken?"

"Don't think so... thanks to you. You saved our lives..."

"It's okay." Wanda replied, glancing about their surroundings with a wary eye. "Don't mention it."

"Where's the others? What happened to Carol?"

"My thoughts exactly..." Wanda turned to see a smooth dip in the snow. She could sense Sam somewhere beyond where the trail disappeared out of view. "He's down there. He's okay, " she said, quickly, when terror briefly filled the former Winter Soldier's eyes. Bucky sighed in relief, before he began struggling through the snow.

"He just gone sledding." Bucky casually hid how afraid he had been. Sam was his friend, and one of the only links he had left to Steve. "I'll get him, you see if you can find Carol... " Wanda nodded.

Bucky began following the trail in the snow left by the shield. Meanwhile, Wanda followed the sound of Carol's consciousness - it was coming from quite a distance away. She flew above the canopy, and thought to herself that she was on full display like a red firework to whatever had taken down the ship. She looked around uneasily, before narrowing her eyes, feeling a surge of courage and confidence.

"Come and get me. I _dare_ you." She muttered under her breath, but she couldn't sense anything. It seemed as though whatever it was had left. Still wary, Wanda flew toward the place she could feel Carol.

She hovered over a clearing, looking around for any sign. Then she saw a hole in the snow drift - a Carol Danvers shaped dent. Wanda found her friend unconscious in the snow, green blood trickling from a wound on her head.

"Oh my god." Wanda lifted Carol out of the snow, kneeling beside her, examining the injury on her face. "Carol? Carol, can you hear me?" It took a lot to knock out Carol Danvers - a power stone, for example - so how had this happened? A bruise bloomed on the side of her head, more of the bizarre green blood trickling from the cut, staining the snow and her short blonde hair.

She hesitated briefly, before she pressed her fingertips to Carol's head, too curious to wait. She found the last memory Carol had - emerging out of the hatch, before something struck her in the side of the head. That was all, before there was darkness.

It seemed as though this action had stirred Carol to consciousness. She was muttering briefly, before her eyes fluttered open. Wanda felt a wave of relief as Carol looked up at her, smirking.

"How's my hair?" She mumbled. "Mar Vell said that to me when we crashed the lightspeed vessel..."

"You never change." Wanda helped her sit up. Carol groaned, holding a hand to her head.

"I didn't see it... it might have been the thing I saw outside... or maybe it was just debris, I don't know... I've been on alien snow planets that didn't feel this cold..."

"What did you see outside that window?" Wanda pressed.

"I don't know... The jet was sabotaged for sure." Carol began to recover from the blow to the head, eyes becoming clearer, Kree blood helping her recover faster. "It was too dark to see... I only saw it for a moment. I saw an outline, but... it looked like a person."

Unease filled Wanda. "That's impossible..." Maybe someone like Carol could have done the same damage to the jet, but she was unique. This was only Earth.

"So is surviving being attacked by infinity stones... yet here we are." Her eyes then widened. "Is everyone else okay?"

"They're fine. We don't have a ride home, though. We'll have to fly ourselves..." They both looked up simultaneously, as a distant howl of a wolf broke the eerie silence. "Oh, that sounds good." Wanda muttered, pulling Carol to her feet.

"Everyone alright?" Sam said over the earpiece.

"We're fine. We survived..." Wanda replied. "I found Carol..."

"What happened?"

"I just got hit in the head... I'm okay, but didn't see what... "

"Well, I'm just relieved you're both alright. Bucky and I are at the wreckage. Please hurry, though... I think we're starting to attract wildlife."

Wanda, with Carol's arm over her shoulder, flew with a little difficulty above the canopy, and they soon spotted where the jet came down. They landed to see Sam and Bucky by the remains of the quinjet, shivering and guns pointed at the trees. Their footprints circled around the wreckage, where they had recovered what weapons and equipment they could.

"Our communicators have no signal. We can't call for help..." Bucky said, grimly.

Wanda heard a twig snap, and turned. She spotted a pair of yellow eyes in the trees, glistening in the darkness. She narrowed her gaze, and summoned a ball of red energy, throwing it in the direction of the eyes. There was a yelp, and the red glow of her powers exposed four wolves darting away into the forest, their tails between their legs. "That should have scared them off. But it's not just wolves we need to worry about..." She pointed at a huge set of tracks in the snow.

"Screw that!" Sam exclaimed. "I'm not about to be eaten by a polar bear! We're getting the hell out of here -"

"Hang on a minute. We're close to where Redwing was intercepted, why not look around?"

"You're kidding, Carol? It's dangerously cold out here, and look at your face! You're in no condition -"

"Honestly, I'm fine! I've had worse!" Carol was a bit unsteady, but otherwise fine. "And didn't your suits get updates recently? Built in heaters in your suits?"

"Oh my god we do!" Bucky fumbled to activate his, ignoring Sam and Carol as they began to debate at first, and then argue.

"Great, we're not going to freeze to death. But there are bears, wolves, and a superhuman assassin trying to kill us all!"

"We'll be fine! We can handle him if he shows up! And don't you think if it wanted to finish the job it would have done that by now?"

As the two captains were debating over their course of action, Wanda looked at the quinjet - or what remained of it. It was on fire, smoke billowing into the icy air above, slowly melting into the snow. The entire underside of the jet had been ripped open, bits of the engine torn out completely. She stepped close, running her fingers along the jagged metal edge, seeing how pieces of wire had seemingly just been pulled out, as though by hand...

Sam had an alert on his goggles.

"I have heat signatures at twelve O'clock, coming in hot..."

"More wolves?"

"No... people."

_"What?" _Wanda almost choked.

"They must have seen the jet come down -"

"No, what are _people_ doing in the middle of the frozen wilderness?"

A few minutes later, four people dressed entirely in black entered the clearing. They were in thermal combat gear, masked, with green lasers shining from their guns.

Wanda looked down from the tree, clinging onto the trunk, pine needles scratching her face. Sam clung to the same trunk a little further up, while Carol and Bucky were in the adjacent tree. The armed gunmen began examining the wreckage, looking inside, scanning the trees. They found the footprints in the snow, but were shining their lights through the trees, clearly confused.

"Dammit. They made it out, the tracks don't go anywhere. They've just vanished. How is that possible?"

"Maybe, just maybe, it's because three of them can fly." The sarcastic voice of a woman came from one of the masked figures. "Siren's new asset clearly isn't as precise as the doctor thinks. It's dangerous, unstable."

_"It?"_ Bucky muttered, incredulously.

Wanda was too distracted by a connection she had just drawn. The carving on the drone wing. _Siren._ They noticeably all jumped at the same time, not expecting to hear her voice in their minds.

_"Hydra. Siren. They're both mythological monsters. Siren must be the name of that former Hydra organisation. It makes sense."_

Everyone exchanged a look and nodded in agreement. The armed gunmen examined the wreckage for a few more minutes, before one of them began talking, presumably into a communicator of some kin. "Yes. We're on our way back. Hurry back? Why didn't you send it here instead of us? We can only walk." Despite the mask on his face Wanda could tell he was rolling his eyes. "I know, I know. Too risky to send it out for long periods of time."

"What is_ it?_ We're dying to know!" Carol hissed in frustration. The gunmen then made off through the trees, leaving the clearing empty. It was safe now. Wanda dropped to the snow, slowly and quietly bringing the others down with her powers.

"What are we going to do?" Bucky asked.

"Follow them, of course." Carol replied. "We need to get to the bottom of this. We need to know what they're up to. We need to know who took out the jet." Sam looked at her, clearly reluctant. Wanda knew what he was thinking. What would Steve and Natasha do?

"You know exactly what they would do." Wanda said to him, handing him his shield. Sam looked at her, and then at the wreckage, before nodding.

"We'll stay out of range. We'll follow their footprints."

Sam looked at the wreckage, at the ripped out engine. The idea came back to his mind. He shook his head in disbelief, before following the others, as they had begun to follow the gunmen.


	13. Siren

With their in-suit heaters activated, they soon stopped shivering. Carol started walking normally after about five minutes, apparently recovered from the hit to the head. Eventually she took the lead, followed by Bucky, gun poised, with Wanda and Sam bringing up the rear. They followed the footprints through the forest, ensuring to keep out of range. They kept far enough so that the gunmen were out of sight and sound, following the prints and distant green shine of their lazers.

Soon the prints led to a cleared, well gritted path, which confirmed that the wilderness wasn't as untouched or uninhabited as they thought.

Sam caught up to Wanda. "Hey. Thank you for saving our lives... if you hadn't been there we would have been goners."

"Well, you're my friends. I could never let anything happen to you." _I wasn't letting anyone die on my watch. Not again._ Wanda thought to herself, as she trudged through the snow. Sam hesitated. He figured that asking how she was feeling wouldn't help at all.

He wanted to ask about the nightmare she had had. Something told him there was more to the dream, from how shaken Wanda was. Her behaviour suggested that it seemed more than horrifying - it seemed _real_. But he reminded himself that she was trying to move forward with a clear head, with no thoughts of the past. It was time to drop the issue completely. But something about all this still troubled him...

"I know what you're thinking, Sam."

"...You do?"

"Yes. Steve and Nat should be here."

"Yeah... That's what I was thinking."

"Don't worry, I wasn't snooping through your mind. It's written all over your face... just try not to worry. Steve chose the right person." Wanda smiled before moving ahead. Sam looked into the trees, stomach churning. That wasn't what he was thinking. The concern that he wasn't worthy enough to fill in Steve's shoes was always with him, and he had a feeling it would never leave.

But he _was_ thinking about something Steve had told him before he died... he felt a horrible worm of fear in his stomach, knowing that both what he suspected and what he knew could be exposed at any moment if Wanda looked into his mind...

They found themselves on a well gritted path in the snow, and soon realized that this team couldn't be the only one. They saw more boot prints in the snow merging into the path, coming from deeper in the forest. "They're patrolling?" Carol guessed. "Making sure nobody comes snooping?"

"Who would be snooping out here?"

"I don't know, the _Planet Earth_ camera crew?" Sam attempted to distract his mind. He gestured to the wilderness. "It's a weird place to hide your evil lair. But then I suppose nobody would ever find it..."

They suddenly found themselves at a fence, topped with barbed wire. There was an electrocuted gate with a keypad and fingerprint scanner.

"Too bad Fury isn't here. He would have been so excited to try his tape trick..." Carol said, before she aimed a fist to an electricity box further along the fence. Bucky leapt forward, seizing her arm and pushing it aside.

"Slow down! We can't let them know we're here!" Bucky exclaimed, in a high pitched voice. Carol looked at him, alarmed and confused.

"What's wrong? They -" Carol began, forgetting for a moment.

"No!" Bucky cried. "Please don't make me go in there. I'm not going in. I can't!" Bucky started hyperventilating, struggling to breathe.

"Buddy, it's okay! Calm down!" Sam pulled him away from the fence, into the trees, where they had less chance of being seen. They hid behind a tree, where Bucky sat, gasping, hands covering his face.

Wanda knelt beside them. "Bucky, it's alright. No one's forcing you in there. You can stay out here." After a few minutes, Bucky began to calm down. He slumped at the foot of the tree, a hand covering his face. This was all too familiar to Wanda. A place that wasn't the same, yet... so familiar.

Living on the streets, she and Pietro had found a source of joy and adventure through urban exploring, and in a place as derelict as Sokovia, they had had many abandoned buildings to choose from. It had been a little dangerous, sure, but Pietro, the thrill seeking and reckless brother he was, had persuaded her. They'd found a fenced off area, where half a crumbling building remained. But as Pietro went to climb the fence, Wanda took a closer looked at the half-collapsed building. It wasn't the same, but it was the same design. She remembered waiting for that bomb to explode, knowing that every second could be their last, that the tiniest shift in the bricks could kill them. Wanda had had her first panic attack there, the sound of her mother's scream ringing in her ears.

Wanda spoke in a low voice. "It's going to be safer for him out here than it will be in there. If this... Siren organisation used to work for Hydra, they'll know him immediately. If he were to be captured god knows what they would do..."

"But we can't leave him here on his own!" Sam protested, worry and fear in his eyes. "What if they find him?"

"Sam, look at him." Bucky was a mess, crying, with Carol kneeling beside him, trying to offer words of comfort. "If we take him in there, he's just going to feel worse or have another panic attack. We really don't know how much Shuri was able to fix... And we don't want to bring up any more memories. And we could use eyes from the outside." Sam casted a worried look in Bucky's direction. Carol looked up; she had seemingly calmed Bucky down.

"If you're really worried, someone could stay with him... I could even go in alone... "

"No. You have to go in there together... You don't know what you're going to find in there." Bucky's words struck a chord. They had no idea what they were up against. "I'll be fine... I can hide anywhere. Just be careful, okay?" Despite his panic attack, Bucky offered them a half smile. "I'm not walking back to New York. I need a ride home." They debated for a few more minutes before deciding they would all go in, and leave Bucky outside. Sam, however, gave Bucky his shield, just in case.

"If anyone sees you or you hear anything suspicious, hide and contact us immediately. If you have to run into the woods, run. We'll be able to find you."

With reluctance, they went back to the fence, and as all three of them could fly, they had no probably levitating themselves over it. They casted one look back at the trees, but couldn't see Bucky.

"Bucky, do you copy?"

"Still here. Just go in. Keep me updated."

They moved cautiously through the trees. The snow was thickening, providing them with more cover. "It looks like a bunker of some kind." Sam said, his goggles providing him a visual. Wanda narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the thickening snow. From this distance all she saw was a vague grey shape.

Peering out from behind trees, they finally saw it properly. It was a grey building, surprisingly small, with a heavy duty concrete concrete and iron door with a large, heavy duty manual lock as well as a keypad. The gunmen were halfway across the clearing to the door.

"I just want a smoke. I'll be in there in a a minute." Said one of the gunmen. As soon as the door closed, he brought out his lighter, flicking the switch several times, but the wind was blowing it out repeatedly. He was grumbling to himself, trying and failing to light a cigarette. Wanda had an idea.

"Blast it. I hate this job -" suddenly the man froze, red light entering his eyes.

"Smoking. Such a bad habit." Wanda beckoned the others, as the man turned and swiftly walked to the door. As they hurried across to join the man, Wanda turned to them. "I warn you. It's a skill I haven't used for a few years, I'm a bit rusty." Carol and Sam exchanged a glance and nodded, keeping their eyes on the man.

The man entered in the code, which turned out to be 2018, the year of the decimation.

"That's kind of an obvious one. Like anyone would forget that."

A little light flashed from red to green and the man lifted the lock. The heavy iron door slowly opened with a groan, revealing a staircase, dimly lit by an eerie single lightbulb. With Wanda still in control of his mind, they followed the man down the stairs.

They moved through a poorly lit hallway, the possessed man leading the way. More of the eerie single lightbulbs lit the way, flickering every now and then. Wanda was on high alert. She had expected to feel dozens of bustling minds, but it was surprisingly quiet. There wasn't a lot of people in here. Either this wasn't their headquarters, or Siren was a smaller organisation than they thought.

Wanda began sweating as the warmth of the building's heating system conflicted with her sewn-in suit heater, and a glance at Sam confirmed that he was feeling the same.

"This place looks ancient." Wanda looked at the long cracks in the ceiling and the walls, the thick layers of dust. "It looks ready to collapse..."

"I think it's a nuclear bunker of some kind." Sam said, surveying the concrete walls. "Or maybe it used to be, anyway... wait..." He pointed at the wall. Wanda and Carol turned, and spotted the faded red Hydra symbol, next to a smashed picture of the Red Skull hanging by a corner. "Right. Another day at the office."

_"What's the situation?"_ Bucky's voice sounded from their earpieces.

"This place used to be used by Hydra." Sam replied. Long pause.

_"...great. Be careful."_

"I can sense people behind this door." Wanda said. With one eye on the man, who was still standing still like a statue, she used her powers to push open the door a fraction. They siddled up to the door to listen. Hushed voices came from within.

"I don't know, man. All this seems suspicious to me. There were no bodies? "

"I told you. They made it out."

"Made it out... or were helped out by the new asset?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're forgetting who was on board that flight - one of the most powerful women in the world. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the witch created a shield of some sort... I'm assuming a better one then the one she made to blow up Rumlow and half a building."

Wanda stiffened. Lagos. Smoke and fire pouring out of the building. Screaming people, both on the ground and within the building, screaming in pain, for help, for their lives. Steve, Natasha, and Sam, staring at her, in a mixture of shock and horror.

"Don't listen to it, Wanda." Sam whispered, but the next thing they heard was enough to break Wanda's concentration.

"We have another problem. Do you think_ she_ _knows?"_

The red light disappeared from the man's eyes. He looked about in confusion, before he looked at them. Sam and Carol stared back with wide eyes, while Wanda hadn't even noticed that the man was no longer under her control. She did look when he screamed something in a foreign language, reaching for his gun. There was a great commotion from inside the room.

Carol sent the man flying off his feet with a photon blast._ "Run!"_

They spun round, and started to flee for the stairs, but then sirens began blaring. Wanda, who happened to be right underneath the speaker, skidded to a halt, overwhelmed, the sirens splitting the silent air. She covered her ears, crying out in pain. "Wanda, come on! We have to go!" Sam pulled desperately on her arm.

Carol reached the staircase. The moment she set one foot on the first step, there was a blinding and eccentric flashing. Carol released a short scream before she was thrown backwards, crashing to the floor.

A force field. They were trapped.

_Why the hell would they even need a force field? _Wanda couldn't hear her own thoughts over the blaring sirens.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Sam exclaimed, before turning, bolting back down the hallway.

Carol scrambled to her feet, still twitching slightly from the electrocution, before racing after Sam. The people in the room threw open the door in response to the intruder alert - Carol kicked it back in their faces with a glowing foot, allowing her and Sam to rush past. Wanda, still overwhelmed by the sirens, wasn't fast enough. The door reopened, and now a door and a hoard of people stood between Wanda and the others. A man with a clearly broken nose staggered out, yelling something as he pointed at Wanda. She released a wave of energy, knocking the group off their feet. Blindly, she saw a corridor to her left, and staggered down it.

"Wanda!" Yelled Carol, suddenly. "Sam, where is she?" Sam whirled round. Wanda had vanished into thin air, but there wasn't time for that. A woman had a gun and was shooting at them.

Ducking to avoid the bullets, they ran as fast as they could down the hall, turning the corner. Sam followed Carol down a corridor, and then another, and another. They ran and ran, until the voices of the people faded. Only for a moment was it quiet, for the sound came back, growing louder and louder, of rushing footsteps and yelling.

"The stairs!" Sam exclaimed, seeing the peeling letters above the door frame. Carol flung the door open, only for a mop, bucket, and broomstick to clatter to the floor. It was a storage room.

"Get in!" She swiped the broom and mop from the floor, kicking the bucket back in, before she shoved Sam in himself. She paused, looking down the hall, before looking at Sam. He tried to pull her into the closet.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Ssh! Keep quiet and stay hidden. We'll figure this out together!" Carol tapped her earpiece.

"What do you mean? Carol, don't -"

Carol slammed the door shut in his face. The group of people sped round the corner, skidding to a halt to stare in a mixture of both anger and awe at Carol, her binary form filling the dark corridor with golden light. "What are you all staring at? Never seen a glowing woman before?"

Carol turned and bolted down the hall. The people sprinted after her, shouting into their earpieces. Sam opened the door a fraction, staring out of it in shock. He lifted a hand to his own earpiece.

"Bucky, are you there?"

_"What's happening?"_

"We have a problem."


	14. Unmasked

_"Wanda! What happened? Where are you?"_

The ringing in her ears meant that Wanda didn't hear. She initially went to continue running down the stairs, before looking down the square between the staircase. She leapt over the barrier and levitated herself down to the bottom level. Knowing that she was safe for a short while, Wanda allowed herself to breathe. She held her hands to her head, waiting for the ringing to stop. The distant blare of the sirens fell quiet, and slowly, her hearing returned.

"Sam..?"

_"__Are you okay? Where did you go?"_

"I'm - I'm fine. Where are you guys? "

_"I'm in a storage closet. Carol led them off... Carol, what's the situation?"_

_"I'm busy!"_ Carol yelled back, making them all flinch. She said no more, but Wanda guessed what happened when she heard the distant sound of commotion and gunfire through a vent in the wall beside her head. _"Don't worry about me, I'll deal with these guys!"_

_"Where are you, Wanda?" _Sam asked.

"I'm on level..." Wanda glanced at the wall. "Minus eight. The lowest level..."

She looked down the dark corridor, and frowned. "It's cold down here. Yet I'm sensing a lot of... energy... it's like all the energy is directed to this level, if that makes sense."

_"It doesn't, really..."_ Bucky said. _"Why would all the energy be going there? What could be down there?"_

_"Maybe it's where they're controlling the force field from. If we could find it and disable it... Wanda, I'll come to you. Where are those stairs? Were they by the entrance?"_

"Uh, yeah. This place... It's... I feel strange..." there was an abnormally long pause from all of her teammates.

_"Wanda,"_ Bucky said, urgently. "_Stay where you are. Don't move any further... this place sounds too dangerous."_

"C_an you hear me?"_ Bucky said again, for she didn't respond. "_Don't go down there. Wait for Sam or Carol! I'm going to look around, see if there's anything I can do out here -"_

She felt... something. Something so familiar, yet so different... it was like a silent voice was calling her from somewhere in the darkness. Like a siren's song, it was trying to lure her. An unknown force possessed Wanda, as she ignored her teammates and began walking down the dark corridor to investigate.

Wanda had barely taken a few steps when she heard rapid footsteps coming down the stairs. She spun round, and lifted her hands, magic beginning to glow, but she sighed in relief, dropping her hands when she realized it was only Sam.

"Are you alright? You look... " Sam didn't want to say 'terrified '.

"No. I'm not alright..."

"What is it?"

"Something's down here, and I want to know what it is." She continued down the hallway. Sam glanced about, before reluctantly following. He couldn't shake the bad feeling, and yet, he too wanted to know what Siren was hiding.

The corridor was empty, except for a doorway at the end. It was a room with a desk covered in buttons and levers, with screens showing live footage from every floor. Sam went over, looking at each screen. "Look!"

They watched Carol slam a door shut. She seized a piece of metal off the floor and shoved it through the handles, bending it round so the door could not open. The opposite screen showed the people they'd overheard initially angrily banging on the door, throwing their body weight against it.

"This must be the control room. They must have activated the force field from here... " Sam and Wanda began looking at the desk, trying to figure out if they could switch off the force field. The buttons were all labelled in a foreign language that neither of them could read.

"What about the big red button?" Sam pointed at it. "It's always the big red button that works. "

"Yeah, but this isn't a movie. You sound like Rhodey. You don't know what that button could do! What if it's a button that will make this whole building explode?"

"It's not. That green lever is the only one in English." Wanda noticed the button he was referring to. It was labelled, 'self destruct.' Before she could stop him, Sam pressed the red button, and then the power went out. The background hum of heaters and electricity went off, and the screens went dark. Although it was too dark to see, Sam could sense Wanda rolling her eyes at him.

"Nice one, Sam. Now I can't see a goddamn thing."

_"What just happened?"_ Carol exclaimed.

"We accidentally cut the power. And now it won't come back on... But hopefully that's deactivated the force field..." Sam pressed the button repeatedly to no avail. With no other option, Wanda summoned her magic, lighting up the room with a red orb. It casted eerie red light around the room, casting long shadows across the wall.

Wanda suddenly felt that feeling again. That unknown force took hold of her. She sensed something from behind the wall.

She walked to the wall, running her hands along it, until she felt a crack. There was a sliding door - albeit a very subtle one. It looked part of the wall - the only clue that it was a floor was a millimetre wide line. There was a hand scanner beside it that Wanda assumed would normally be glowing and activated, but with the power cut, it had turned off, as had the locking mechanism.

"I... I need to see this." Wanda used her powers to open the door, and it slid open. Sam cautiously followed her inside.

"What is it, Wanda? What can you feel?"

"I... I don't know..." Wanda was too distracted by what filled this room to feel for the consciousness of anyone.

The glow of her magic bathed the room in red. There were computers, strange looking technology, chalkboards of diagrams and math, tables scattered with papers, and, most eerily, what was in the centre of the room. It was an empty metal table. It was covered in dents, as if there had been a great struggle on it. They both grew cold.

"What is this?"

Wanda and Sam began looking at the drawings, the sheets of data. Wanda didn't know what she was looking at at first. She didn't have a scientific mind to say the least. It was all a muddle of words and numbers to her. Everything except for the newspaper cuttings.

"Oh my god." She whispered.

The picture on the front was a cctv image from a street in Edinburgh. It showed Vision, laying on a cobblestone pavement, screaming while Corvus Glaive tried to pry the mind stone out of his head. There were blurry images, of her battling against Proxima Midnght, of Vision collapsed by the railings of Waverley Station while Wanda stood between him and the two aliens.

"Wanda," Sam said quietly, the pieces of his dreaded jigsaw slowly fitting together. "Theres... something I need to tell you..."

She picked up a sheet, ignoring him. Sam repeated her name over and over but he went unheard. She was looking at a sketch of two round objects. It was a comparative sketch, almost. One was labelled 'mind'. The other wasn't named, but the word 'solar energy' had been circled in red pen. A diagram of both, showing the structure, the contents. Another page had a sketch of a face. _His _face.

_...What is this?_

Wanda's heart was doing something strange. It felt like a cage of sparrows, frantically flying around her the cage bars that were her ribcage.

"Vision." her voice trembled. "These papers, these diagrams... they're all to do with Vision." Sam couldn't say it. His words snagged in his throat and he stayed silent. "What... what did they do with his body?"

Traumatized from what happened then, she had been too distracted to ask what happened next. Visiting Pietro in the Elysian Garden, she had never wondered why Vision wasn't there too...

Her fingers curled around the edge of the page, and she felt the next one. It was harder, smooth, shiny. Photo paper. Her fingers trembled as they tried to turn the page. She saw the corner had a date; a little under three months ago, mere weeks after the universe was restored.

It was... it...

Wanda dropped the stack of papers with a fragmented gasp of horror. She began whispering under her breath, the word, 'no', over and over. The papers cascaded to the floor, and the photograph landed at Sam's feet. He was horrified to see Vision's lifeless eyes staring back at him.

"What is this?!" Wanda screamed.

There was the sound of shuffling papers. Wanda and Sam spun round. In the back of the room, someone had their back to them, where he or she was looking through a stack of papers. They were wearing a long, oversized black coat, and because of this and the darkness, it was hard to tell whether they were a man or woman.

Wanda and Sam didn't wonder for long however, for the voice that came out was unmistakably female. But the voice was strange. It was clearly being distorted, it had a grainy, static quality to it.

"I don't know why you're getting so upset. He wasn't anything more than a machine, after all... "

Wanda wasn't just angry. 'Furious' couldn't begin to comprehend how she felt, with this statement and their discovery turning her brain upside down. She summoned her magic and seized the person, yanking them into the light. Once the figure was close enough she withdrew her magic in time to seize them by the collar, slamming the person into a filing cabinet. Sam staggered back, seeing the inferno glowing in Wanda's blazing red eyes.

Wanda couldn't see the face of the person she held. They were wearing some kind of mask that covered all of their head. The unfamiliar icy grey eyes of a woman glared back at her through a pair of goggles.

She didn't want to use magic for this. She wanted to kill whoever it was with her bare hands.

"What did you do to him? Tell me, now!"

"The pair of you made quite the headlines. The damage you did in Edinburgh... you cost thousands worth of damage to a cathedral that was built before the Black Death..."

"Answer the question!" There was a click as Sam switched the safety off his gun. "Who the hell are you and what did you do with Vision's body?" He demanded, in an angry, commanding voice. The woman said nothing, smiling under her mask.

A frown came over Wanda's face. "Why can't I read you?"

"This mask contains a little multitasking transmitter. It's designed to block out your powers, so don't bother trying to fiddle with my brain."

Wanda felt Sam's eyes on her but she didn't look back, too focused on how to remove the mask the woman was wearing. It didn't appear as simple as taking it off - it looked to be made from a mesh, nanotech, like T'Challa's mask.

The woman's head fell back and she laughed again. "I knew it was only a matter of time until you found out. Murders taking place in unlikely places, impenetrable places? Area 51, the Pentagon, a quiet rural back road in upstate New York... afterall, you were once very close to someone well equipped for such a task -"

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Vision!" Wanda snapped, her glowing fingers burning into the woman's coat. "So what have you done? Have you created another android? Using my dead loved one as inspiration to create a new being that you can send on kill missions?" For some reason, the woman laughed. She laughed as if Wanda had told a hilarious joke.

"You think that's funny?" Sam hissed.

"I find it funny that you still haven't figured it out. For three months, I have waited for you to get here. It's taken a lot longer than I expected, actually. Really, could none of you put two and two together? Mind you, from what I saw in his head, you were more into love than science... even dead, like a flash drive, the information was still there..."

Wanda felt sick. They must have studied his body, searched his mind. All those personal, intimate moments between her and Vision... She had at least had those moments to hold onto, those memories to cherish. Now they had been violated by strangers. The woman tilted her head to one side.

"Tell me, Scarlet Witch. How do you sleep at night?"

"You'd better shut up -" Sam pointed the gun at her face, but the woman was unnerved. She revelled at the look on Wanda's face, the tears coming to her eyes.

"How do you sleep, knowing what you did to him? Knowing, how he died?"

"I don't sleep. But I will probably rest easier when I tear you limb from limb in about five seconds -"

"Five seconds is all I need." The woman's grey eyes flickered to the back of the room, and a demented smile came to her face. "I'm afraid I've been stalling... you really shouldn't have turned off the power. We use a generator to keep him in a sleep-like state when he's not needed. Normally it takes a few minutes to get him up and running again, but as you already did that, I'm afraid I can't even give you a head start..."

There was a sound from the corner of the room. A secret compartment in the wall was opening. Wanda tore her eyes off the masked face to look. Inside the wall was something that looked very similar to Helen Cho's cradle, the womb of metal that had created Vision. The only difference was that it was standing vertically.

Suddenly the mask the woman was wearing lit up with green light, in the seams where the panels were attached. It was an eerie visual, with the glowing green lines against the voids of black.

The cover of the cradle began to open. Wanda threw the woman to one side, summoning her magic, while Sam's wings came out and he pointed his gun. The room flooded with cold as icy air rolled across the room. Something emerged from the cradle, floating to the floor.

She looked into his eyes, and for a moment, Wanda's heart stopped beating.


	15. Not you

"Vizh?"

Vision didn't move. He stood there like a statue, seemingly frozen, as Wanda took his face in her hands. Tears of disbelief gathered in her eyes.

_This isn't real. It's impossible... _Wanda tried to convince herself that this was real, that it wasn't a cruel illusion or trick conjured by her imagination or by the mysterious woman. She had seen him die. _Both _times. So how could this be? How was he standing here in front of her?

Wanda stared at his face, feeling the wonderfully familiar contrast of his skin and the vibranium parts under her fingers. All doubt vanished, when she reached out and felt his consciousness. Somehow, he was here. He was warm, real, and alive.

Vision looked almost the same as he had before he was injured. The lifeless grey was gone, the familiar colours of red, teal and gold rightfully restored. The damage on his torso had been repaired, and he was wearing his battlesuit, cape sweeping the floor. A frown came to her face; something was different. Her fingertips lifted hesitantly. She was going to gently touch his forehead, but then she retracted her hand, unable to bring herself to do it.

There was a new series of lines where the gouge in his skull had been. The edge of the crater was still visible, a faint line of lighter skin, with more oddly shaped lines running through his skin like contours and rivers on a map. There was a yellow jewel in his head. It was in the same place, it was the same shape and size, it looked almost identical to the mind stone, but... another impossible thing.

They had all been sat down after the battle and been told what had happened. The surviving members of the team had hunted Thanos down - the original Thanos - where Thor had killed him, but not before they had learned that all six stones had been destroyed. If it wasn't the mind stone, what was it? She remembered the diagram she'd seen. _Solar._ They said he could have lived without the mind stone; he just needed another power source. They'd just needed a little more time...

Something else was different about his face. It wasn't just the new lines in his forehead... it wasn't just the new, unfamiliar stone.

"Wanda..." Sam said, his voice barely audible. "Look at him..."

Something was wrong. Vision wasn't reacting to her hands holding his face. He wasn't moving at all. Wanda's gaze moved to his eyes. The grey veil of death had lifted. There were gears, and the colour was blue. But they were cold and empty.

A realization dawned upon Wanda. Her hands dropped from his face.

There was no emotion or recognition in his eyes at all.

She turned slowly to look at the masked woman, who had picked herself off the floor from where Wanda had thrown her. As the pieces of jigsaw fitted together, a dangerous glint entered Wanda's eyes.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Liar!"

"The damage was done - he was a blank slate when we woke hm up. Well, not exactly, I suppose... He was like your typical amnesia patient. Not at all what we expected. Who are you. What happened. Who am I. Then there was a struggle, right on this table. It took us electrocuting him in order to restrain him long enough to get that collar onto him..."

_Collar? _She had been so distracted by his face that she hadn't noticed. She had flashes to her time in the Raft prison. The shock collar of her nightmares, to keep her under control, to keep her quiet. She was dangerous, just like he was. Now Vision had a similar device around his neck. It looked very similar, a dull grey metal with a single red light flashing occasionally. It looked more advanced, more invasive, then the one they had placed on her. It had another purpose.

"What the hell is it for?"

"The government was terrified when they learned about the existence of a formidable android designed by a genocidal robot. So they made this device with the few scraps of vibranium Wakanda was willing to share after it opened to the world. Just in case Vision would need... taming down, but it would still let him be of use. The government is paranoid, but it is not wasteful. They kept this thing in a highly secure facility, but the country was all over the place when half of it disappeared. No one was bothering to guard it following the distress and havoc caused by the snap."

"So... you're telling us you've had his body in your possession for _five years?"_ Sam advanced towards the woman, gun raised, looking as angry as Wanda had.

"Well yes, but he's only been active for the last three months, the snap wiped out our best scientists -" Sam didn't let her finish.

"Shut the hell up! You were in Wakanda when it happened, you... you dug up his grave? And this thing, this collar, the government had this... back up plan in case Vision grew too strong for their liking? A way to make him docile yet still able to take out orders? What kind of existence would that be? What kind of existence is this?!'

Wanda continued to stand there, her own eyes taking on a glassy quality, as shock overcame her. A tear fell down her face. "Vision, please. Say something..." He didn't. He looked at her with the same blank expression.

It all made sense now. Assassinations in the most secure facilities in the world. Victims being killed by blunt trauma to the heads. No sign of the killer, how they got in or out. Sam's drones, his wingpack, had been crushed in the air. Carol being knocked unconscious, the quinjet being hacked and torn into like tissue paper. Vision could change his density. He could walk through walls. He could fly and hack into secure systems...

This was why Wanda sometimes felt that she could feel him. The reason why Sam couldn't bring himself to fire his weapon, when the figure had stood over Bucky.

The assassin was Vision. Vision, with no memory of who he was, of what happened... no memory of _her_.

"No, no... he wouldn't do these things, he wouldn't..."

Her eyes returned to Wanda. "You're a witch, aren't you? Maybe you'll understand it this way. I suppose you could say that this collar puts him under a spell. A spell that blocks his freewill, his emotion. Mind you, this is no fairy tale. Sometimes he does need a push..."

Without warning the collar activated. There was a blinding flash of light from around Vision's neck, and then he collapsed to the floor. He began to convulse on the ground, eyes rolling in their sockets, screaming, a scream that was horribly familiar to Wanda. Wanda dropped to the ground beside him. Sam tried to stop her but it was too late - Wanda touched his shoulder, only to fall back with a cry of pain when she received a shock. She could only watch, helpless, as Vision writhed like a fish caught in a net.

"Stop! Make it stop!" Wanda screamed, in horror.

The woman pressed her hand to a scanner on the wall, and a secret door opened, revealing what closely resembled an old fashioned elevator. "This has been nice and all, but we're on a tight schedule." She looked at Vision, and his eyes moved to her as her mask turned green once again. "Kill them." She said, in a voice void of emotion. Sam pulled the trigger on his gun, but the wall panel had already slid back into place, sealing the woman off from them.

The words rang in Wanda's head. _Kill them._

Vision was no longer convulsing on the ground. He lifted his head, eyes locked on her.

"No," Wanda whispered, slowly shaking her head, tears spilling down her face, as she backed away from him. "No, no, no..."

Vision lunged toward Wanda. Sam fired his gun but it was pointless. The bullets fell to the ground upon contact with Vision, his skin taking on that dark, shiny quality that indicated he had increased his density. He faced her, the light of the new stone in his forehead glowing brighter and brighter.

He was going to kill her.

"Vision, no!" Sam cried. He lunged forward and struck Vision with his wing, but Vision seized the wing and tore it off like it was a wing from a fly. "Wanda, run!" Sam screeched as Vision seized him by the throat and threw him across the room. Sam hit his head on a pipe and crumpled to the floor, stunned. Vision turned back to Wanda, who stood there like a deer in headlights. She was paralyzed, frozen. It was just like her dream. Except this time Vision wasn't dead, and he wasn't on strings -

Carol barrelled her out of the way as the yellow beam of the new stone in Vision's head sliced into the concrete wall behind Wanda. Carol looked at Wanda, wide eyed with shock and confusion. She knew who it was. She hadn't met Vision but she had seen pictures. But now was not the time to console Wanda. There was no time to ask questions - Vision flew toward them, stone glowing once more. Carol sprang to her feet, leaping in the air to meet him. They collided in midair and went rolling across the floor, knocking over the metal table and filing cabinets. Carol managed to strike him once, making him stagger, but her other fist flew through him as he began to phase.

"Get out of here! I'll hold him off!" Carol screamed.

Sam struggled to his feet. "Wanda, we have to go! He'll kill us all!" She watched in horror as Vision caught Carol's fist in his hand. She tried to wrestle her hand free, but Vision was increasing his density once more. She couldn't free her hand. It was trapped in Vision's concrete grasp.

"Uh oh." Carol whispered as Vision loomed over her.

Wanda threw an orb of energy at Vision, and he was thrown backwards, releasing his grip on Carol. She seized him with her magic, and he attempted to break free. "Vision, please!" She was losing control of him - she had to try harder. Her magic grew brighter, and then the new stone in his head turned scarlet. Vision stopped struggling, unable to resist. Cracks appeared in the floor beneath Vision. He buckled, falling to his knees, as she took control of the stone once more, taking control of his density. It was the only thing she could think of that would restrain him long enough for them to get away.

_This seems familiar. _Wanda remembered that time just before the team broke up. She was under house arrest. Vision was still new, he didn't fully grasp how hurtful that was when Tony forcibly kept her at the compound. She had to do it, she had to send him down through the floor and into the ground so she and Clint could leave...

And two years later, she had to kill him, so half of the universe could live.

Wanda's powers died as she remembered what happened the last time she used her powers on the stone in his head. She couldn't. She couldn't do it.

She turned and ran out, tripping over Sam's wing that Vision had ripped off. She fled back down the hall, where Carol and Sam were already halfway to the stairs. "Come on, Wanda!" Sam cried, as Carol grabbed him by the collar and flew up with him in the square of space between the flights of stairs. Wanda flew up after them, constantly glancing down. The building was now void of people - she briefly wondered why, but there wasn't time for that. They burst into the corridor, and saw the stairs.

Bucky stood there at the top, a silhouette against the open door. "Out of the way! _Run!"_ Sam yelled, as they flew toward him. Bucky dodged to the side as all three of them came flying out of the facility. Carol slammed the door shut.

"What's wrong?" Bucky exclaimed, oblivious, standing in front of the door beside Carol. Before anyone could warn them, Vision phased through the door, crashing into the pair of them and sending them flying across the clearing. He turned on Wanda, who staggered away from him as he surged toward her. She tried to block him, but he managed to catch her arm in his hand.

"This isn't who you are!" Wanda cried. "You could never hurt me! _Vizh!"_

The light from his forehead died. Vision stared at her, a strange look entering his blank eyes. He let go of her arm, and Wanda stared at him, eyes widening. Then the collar activated again. Vision cried out as the collar shocked him. He whirled round and flew off into the forest, where a jet was visible, taking off in the distance. A faint green glow in the darkness told Wanda that the woman was aboard it.

Wanda took one step to follow, before a plume of fire blasted the door off the facility. The woman had instructed Vision to pull the self destruct lever.

A piece of concrete struck her in the head, and that was the last thing Wanda remembered.


	16. The secret

_Five years before_

It had been two weeks since the decimation.

The silence was broken by the sound of a shovel striking the earth. In the Wakandan forest, a small group of people were gathered around a growing hole in the ground.

"Will you hurry up?" Hissed the very same woman who would come face to face with Wanda and Sam five years later. "We don't have long. At some point they're going to remember the barrier is still open." She began to pace up and down, grey eyes flickering through the trees.

"You try digging up a grave..." Muttered one of her colleagues, out of her hearing.

"Do you think they suspected? Nobody saw us?"

"Clearly not, because we're still here. In the words of Doctor Zola, we're a beautiful parasite."

"Really? You still believe in that Hydra propaganda?"

"Shut up, Jones." One of the people gathered around the grave looked up at the woman by the trees, before he whispered in a low voice. "I'm curious. Why does she want Vision's body? Don't we have enough on the jet already?"

"You know what she's like. Nothing's ever enough... and after what happened last week..." One of them glanced toward her, eyeing the bandage on her upper arm. "I guess Vision would be pretty useful. He can get in anywhere... get whatever we need."

"You sure it's nothing to do with how -" the woman whirled round, grey eyes ablaze, and the diggers quickly fell silent and looked down, focusing on their task. She blinked before stalking over to the small jet, lifting a piece of blue tarp. The sickly buzz of flies barely phased her as she inspected the two alien corpses.

One was one of the horrible six armed creatures laying on the battlefield. Most of the dozens of bodies had been picked over by vultures, and they'd found one that was relatively in tact. The other was a bit more visually interesting than the faceless army of aliens, but both nonetheless were stiff with rigamortis, their skins began to rot from laying under the African sun for a week.

She eyed the spear laying on a counter, which they had found a few feet away from the second body. The spear had helped her recognise this alien as one of the ones in Edinburgh, in what had become a world famous incident. Maybe she would put them to good use somehow - cyro freeze was available in most of the former Hydra outposts, so they could be put away for later use.

The repeated sound of shovels in earth stopped as they hit something new. "We got it. Lift together on three."

They shoved the simple woven grass casket out onto the soil. The woman went over, and the group shuffled back, afraid to see what lay inside. She went about slicing through the simple fastener with a pocketknife, before she lifted the lid off the casket.

The others leaned over, eyes wide.

Unlike the two aliens, Vision's body hadn't started to decay, but his skin was a lifeless grey. A piece of cloth had been laid over his forehead, to hide where the stone had been torn out. His eyes had been slid closed, and some now-wilting African wildflowers had been nestled in the coffin around him, and onto his stomach and chest. The woman moved the flowers aside, eyes scanning the two gouges in his torso.

"What's that?" One of the others spotted a piece of paper amongst the flowers. She lifted the paper and unfolded it.

_"__You both deserved so much better. We're so sorry. _Well, isn't that sweet?" She tossed the piece of paper aside, before she lifted the cloth, examining the crater in his forehead.

"Ouch." Muttered one of the diggers. "What a horrible way to go..." The woman tilted her head - if she was as uncomfortable as the others to have just opened a grave with a body inside, she didn't show it.

"Hmm." She said, as if she were merely thinking of what to put on a shopping list. "The damage looks worse than I thought..."

"Doc, that's beyond damaged. That looks irreparable... we'd need a lot of material..." One of the men said. "Most of the team was wiped out... if they were still here maybe we could, but... I don't think... "

"Perhaps this was a waste of time." She admitted. "No matter... we'll see what can be done. Put him in the jet."

* * *

In the present day, a great swathe of fog had rolled in over upstate New York. Carol gazed out into the grey abyss, unable to see anything, not even the lawn. All she could make out was the vague outline of the forest in the distance.

She had never felt this way - so confused, guilty, and worried. It was a strange concoction of emotions. They had so much to discuss and not a lot of time. Where did they go from here? Who did they tell? What was their plan? What were they going to do about Vision?

Wanda had shut herself in the channel room and not come out, telling them that she wanted to speak to the only people she knew had been in Wakanda and survived - Rhodey and Bruce. She had wanted to confront Thor and Okoye as well, but both of them were unavailable. Not allowed in, Carol, Bucky and Sam were gathered outside.

Carol flexed her hand, wincing. She had bruises on her knuckles from where Vision had grasped her fist and refused to let go. She had felt the pressure on her hand grow and grow as his density increased - if it weren't for Wanda, he may have crushed her hand. She was powerful, yes, but never had Carol fought someone like Vision. None of the alien thugs and intergalactic warriors she had encountered could ever phase through her attacks.

"It's happened all over again. Hydra has a new Winter Soldier." Bucky said, quietly.

Both he and Sam sat very still, like wax figures. Sam was staring into space, looking traumatized. Goose, who had been pacing up and down outside the channel room door for some time, had plonked himself into Bucky's lap when Wanda ignored his scratching at the door, but Bucky hadn't even noticed, his eyes vacant and haunted.

"I can't take this." Carol looked at the door. "It doesn't matter what, how, why... we can't let her shut herself away again. We need to support her."

"She wants to talk to them alone." Sam said, in a distant voice. "I think she deserves to know the truth from the people who were actually there." He put his head in his hands. "This is all my fault..."

"How is it your fault?" Bucky shook his head. "None of this is anyone's fault. It's this Siren group and the masked woman. They're the ones who did this..."

"It's my fault because I suspected that Vision was behind it and I said nothing." They looked up at Sam in surprise. "I didn't want to believe it... I mean, come on. Fury himself thought it could have been someone who could walk through walls. Vision attacked me in the air and he crushed my pack with his hands. These deaths, all from blunt trauma, no evidence or weapons? And I never brought it up because I didn't want to upset her..."

"Don't blame yourself, Sam. We all thought it was a coincidence because all we knew was that Vision was dead. We couldn't possibly think there was anyway he was alive." Bucky said, but Sam looked away, unable to meet his eyes. Bucky frowned. "What is it? What are you thinking?"

"I shouldn't have kept it to myself... "

"Sam, you're her friend. You've been through a lot together. It's only natural to keep something like that from her... "

"That wasn't all I kept from her, though." Bucky and Carol frowned; they didn't know what Sam was referring to - what he was hiding.

"What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Wanda sat in the dark channel room, arms folded, her eyes glassy and cold. She watched, as the two blue holograms took form.

"Hey, Wanda." Rhodey greeted, although he looked puzzled as he looked across to see that only Bruce was present. It was unusual for just Wanda to reach out to either of them. Bruce looked at Rhodey and then to Wanda, also confused - then a look of concern came to his face.

"Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost. And what happened to your face?" Bruce frowned at the bruise and cut above her left eyebrow. Wanda finally spoke, and her voice came out brittle.

"Don't act like you give a damn."

"..what are you talking about?"

Wanda didn't respond immediately. She sat there in silence, expression unreadable. _"So,"_ she said. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "When were you going to tell me what you did with Vision's body?"

Bruce and Rhodey didn't say a word, their expressions full of shock and horror as they recalled a memory they had omitted for five years.

"Well? I'm waiting." Wanda's eyes glowed more fiercely by the second. Rhodey sighed deeply - he knew deep down that this day would come, but he had been hoping Wanda would never question the whereabouts of her former love.

"Wanda," he began. "Before we tell you, you need to know that we didn't want to hurt you anymore than you already were. That's why we never said anything..." Rhodey was still oblivious to what how spurred her sudden interest in what happened to Vision, but Bruce's eyes had grown wide, as if he were dreading something.

"Tell me the truth." Wanda said, softly.

"Alright. If you're sure... " Bruce told the first part of the story.

"In the first few days following the snap, we conducted a thorough examination of Vision's body. We ran dozens of scans and dozens of tests, just in case he was still there, but we detected nothing. There wasn't time for a proper funeral, but... we thought to ourselves that we would bury him first, try hunt Thanos down... and then we would give Vision the send off he deserved."

Rhodey told the rest. "We returned to Wakanda with Steve and Nat after we found out that the stones were gone. Okoye took us into the forest to where we buried him. We were going pay our respects to him, and all of you, and hold a ceremony. But... when we got there - he was gone. His grave was empty. We searched and searched, but we never found him. I'm so sorry."

_The love of my life was graverobbed._

"You clearly didn't search hard enough."

Rhodey didn't understand this statement. He tried his best to comfort her, but he was unknowingly pouring more gasoline onto the fire. "Wanda, if it helps, we buried him in a casket. We filled it with African wildflowers, and there was a note -"

"Do you honestly think _flowers and a note_ would make me feel any better?" Wanda's eyes burned into Rhodey, and he had to look away. Her gaze returned to Bruce. Guilt was written all over his face. "Tell me, Banner. When we reached out to you after our visit to Ava Starr, you looked worried, when we mentioned that the assassin we were after had to be someone who could walk through walls... why don't you tell me why?"

"How is this relevant?" Rhodey frowned. "Bruce?" Bruce looked terrified now.

"I just thought how uncanny it was, that was all -"

_"Really._" Her voice hardened. "Then explain to me how I just came face to face with Vision in Hudson Bay."

_"What?" _Bruce whispered, in a voice too small to be believed for his size. Rhodey's eyes widened with shock.

"...he's _alive?"_

Wanda explained what had happened during the night. The rural backroad, the possessed drone, the quinjet, Siren, the masked woman, and Vision. When she was finished Rhodey and Bruce looked horrified, and above all, guilty. Wanda had felt an ember of rage glowing in her chest throughout the whole explanation. It burned, hotter and hotter.

"How could you let that happen to him? He was your friend!"

"Wanda - you need to understand -"

Wanda's hands were glowing without her realizing. The ember in her chest sizzled, flaring, the leaves around it beginning to smoke.

"We thought it would be best leaving you not knowing. You went through so much, we thought that something like that would -"

"You thought it would send me over the edge?"

"No, of course not!" Bruce exclaimed. "We only wanted to protect you! I promise, we tried to find out what happened to him, we tried everything -"

Wanda slammed her hands on the desk with such force that the wood cracked underneath her red, glowing fingers. The ember had set the leaves it rested upon on fire. The forest ignited, ablaze, as her anger grew too much to contain. "He has no idea who I am, no memory! He's killed people! He's suffering, a prisoner! _Because of you! All of you!"_

Sam couldn't take it anymore. He threw open the door and came rushing in.

"Wanda, you can't blame them! Their minds were all over the place, the world was in chaos. No one was in the right headspace after finding out that Thanos destroyed the stones, believing that there was no way back! Natasha and Steve were devastated -"

"How would you know?" Wanda snapped. "Nat's dead, and Steve -" Wanda paused, a frown coming to her face. "In the bunker you said the woman dug up Vision's grave... she never said how she got hold of his body." There was a long pause. Bruce and Rhodey stared as she faced Sam. "You weren't there. So how could you possibly know?"

Sam looked at her, tears filling his eyes.

Her green eyes burned into him. There was no magic this time. She didn't want to read his mind. She wanted him to say it aloud, to admit it himself.

"Sam. Did you know?"

"Wanda, I..."

_"Did you know?"_

"I..."

A single tear of disbelief fell down Wanda's face.

"Get out." She whispered. When Sam didn't move, she screamed like a banshee, her voice splitting the silence_. "Get out!"_

Sam fled the room, narrowly missing being crushed by the door as Wanda slammed it behind him with her magic. She ended the connection with Rhodey and Bruce, ignoring their protests. She turned away from the door, hands burying into her hair. Her powers lashed out, sending tables and chairs flying across the room.


	17. Hauntings

_Two weeks before the decimation_

"...Greyfriar's Kirkyard was once a valley." The tour guide paused, grinning at their oblviousness. "This cemetery you're standing on... was a _valley_." The group glanced about in confusion at the hill the graveyard stood on. Wanda already knew what she was going to say, and a chill ran down her spine.

"It was a valley until several centuries ago... when it became a mass burial site for over 100,000 plague victims." The woman grinned, watching some of the tour who shifted uneasily at this. Wanda felt Vision suddenly lace his fingers with hers, and press closer to her. She chuckled, and looked up at him, playfully nudging his arm.

"Scared?" She teased.

"Of course not, what makes you think I am?" He laughed nervously.

Wanda hoped that he wasn't too uncomfortable. She knew how worried he was about her being recognised, and the creepier side of Edinburgh's history might disturb him, but she had longed to go on the ghost tour. After hopping around Europe for almost two years, Wanda had decided to settle herself in Scotland for a few months, as she had, quite honestly, fallen in love with Edinburgh when they visited it a year ago.

They had explored almost every corner of the city, but they hadn't yet gone on a ghost tour, which Wanda had been itching to go on. She had always had a fascination with ghosts and spirits; she and Pietro had even played with a Ouija board one time, when they were teenagers.

It had ended in disaster, when the plancette spontaneously flew off the board and knocked over a candle, setting the rug on fire. To that day Wanda was unsure whether it had been an elaborate and well conducted prank by Pietro, or something paranormal.

They'd debated whether they could get away with going on the ghost tour without Wanda being recognised. They would be part of a small group of people in close proximity for almost two hours; it was very possible that someone would recognise her. But no matter how many times the guide talked about witchcraft, she or the people on the tour never clocked the fact that there was a real witch present. As much as Wanda disliked her ginger hair, it really did help mask her identity.

"Don't worry, Vizh. I'll protect you from medieval ghosts..." They turned their attention back to the tour guide.

"Sometimes some bones are even unearthed by heavy rainfall, and as this is Scotland, you can imagine that happens quite a lot." Some people in the group laughed. "If you do spot anything, please do let us know. I wouldn't advise taking anything as a souvenir... apparently the plague is still active after all this time. Wouldn't want anyone coming down with something." She smiled brightly, before spinning around and striding down the gravel path. "Moving on!"

"That's... unsettling to know." Vision whispered to Wanda, as they tailed the tour group. She took his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling against the fabric of his coat.

_"You're not too creeped out by all this, Vizh?" _ Wanda turned their conversation telepathic, in case the tour group overheard.

_"I am, but.. not necessarily in a bad way." _

_"Same. In a weird way, people like being scared, to a certain extent."_

_"It's so fascinating to hear how humans used to treat each other, and their history... as well as__ mildly terrifying." _Vision was referring to when the guide began talking about the persecution and torture of supposed witches several centuries before. Without thinking about it, he had put a protective arm around Wanda at this part. She didn't object at all.

_"Here's a random thought, Vizh. How would they really react to me, a real witch, if I were to go back to the medieval times?"_

_ "I don't think they would do anything the guide spoke of. You wouldn't let them near you, and they would be too terrified. And that's a good thing, obviously, I'm not saying -" _

_"I know what you mean, angel. Don't worry, I find it very flattering." _

_"I'__m wondering how they'd react to me..."_

_"In those days, anyone remotely different was automatically an evil entity or demon sent from hell. They might throw holy water at you." _They exchanged a look and shared a laugh, before realizing that the tour guide and the rest of the group was halfway across the cemetery. They hurried after the group, who were now gathered by a grave in front of a wall covered with ivy.

"-and came up with a genius plan to make some money. So what was their grand money making scheme? Grave robbing, of course! As you do! It became a real problem in the eighteenth century..."

Wanda listened as the woman began explaining the illegal schemes. Her stomach was knotting as she heard this part.

"Wanda? Are you okay?" Vision frowned at the look of slight discomfort on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just an uncomfortable subject, you know, grave robbing... it's just one of those things that makes me... " Wanda shivered. "It's supposed to be a place of rest, but some greedy person decided to get a shovel and... I'm being silly, ignore me..."

"No, you're not being silly at all." Vision put his arm around her. "It troubles me too... disrespecting the dead. It's wrong." Wanda leaned into him, and she felt at ease when she felt his lips on the top of her head. He made her feel safe, even in the dark, supposedly haunted cemetery.

An hour later, after they got back to their hotel, and Vision closed the door behind him. Wanda dropped her coat, before lacing her fingers with his. Vision lifted her hands to press a few kisses to her knuckles.

She tilted her head.

"The real you?" She murmured, with a smile, and Vision allowed his disguise to melt away. "Thank you, for coming on that tour with me... I really did want to see it... you're sure you weren't uncomfortable?"

"Of course not, I found it interesting. Humans and their interest in the paranormal and barbaric ways of old civilisations... it's truly fascinating. And I'm just glad you enjoyed yourself..." Vision lost the ability to speak when Wanda gently took hold of the lapel of his coat, smile spreading to her soft green eyes. He loved seeing her this happy.

He felt a slight pain in his chest, when he saw his fake passport laying on the table behind her, and he remembered he was only hers, and she was his, for two more weeks. The more he saw her, the harder it was to leave her.

He hated the thought of going back to the states, where Secretary Ross and his team of men in suits watched him like vultures, where he felt unwanted, where people walked on ice around him. Yet in Europe, nobody knew who he was, where he could run away and steal precious time with the woman he loved...

_What if you don't have to go back? You could stay, you know... _whispered a voice in his head. _Ask her, and, if she says yes... you can ask her that other question..._ His eyes softened, and for a moment he considered, but then decided that it could wait. He had a few weeks left with her, and he could think about it until then.

"You know, after all that, I don't think I'll be sleeping right away." She murmured.

"I wouldn't blame you... I may also lay awake with all this talk of torture and ghosts..."

"Well," Wanda traced some of the metal panels in his neck with her fingertips. "I'm sure we'll find another way to pass the time... what do you suggest?"

Vision gently took her face in his hands. Wanda leaned into his touch, turning her head to brush her lips against his palm.

"Reading?" Vision said, innocently. Wanda broke down in a fit of laughter, before standing on tiptoe to steal his lips.

* * *

Wanda opened her eyes with a start, her hand instinctively reaching across the empty bed. Then she remembered. It may have been a few months to her, but in real time, that ghost tour was years ago. It hadn't been a horrifying nightmare, just a pleasant dream, a memory. But it was just as cruel as the dream where Vision's corpse had been on strings. The pleasant dream she had just had, the memory she had relived, was an insult.

It had been almost a day since their discovery, and they had heard nothing.

Not twice. Three times. She had lost Vision a third time. She didn't know what to feel.

Should she be relieved he was alive? Should she be terrified? Vision had just attempted to kill her. He had killed people. He had no memory, and with that collar, no emotion or freewill. Not sure what to feel, Wanda had retreated into a dark, familiar place.

History was repeating itself. Wanda had shut herself in her bedroom, she hadn't eaten, or barely moved at all. She was too numb to feel anything, once again.

But she wasn't alone this time. She had friends who were determined not to let her lock herself away again.

Carol paused at the bedroom door, hearing the music playing. The song was unfamiliar. Wanda's playlist was frequently dominated by dark music, hauntingly beautiful songs sung by the voices of other worldly women. The sombre sounding voice, lyrics and dark chords told her what kind of mood Wanda was in. Not angry anymore... just sad.

When Carol opened the door, Goose slipped past her ankle and into the room first. Wanda lay on her bed with her back to them. Goose hopped into the bed and nudged Wanda's shoulder, before he tucked his paws underneath himself, choosing a fluffy grey pillow to deposit himself on. His big green eyes were fixed on Wanda as he meowed several times, trying to get her attention. She ignored him and Carol as she set herself on the edge of the bed.

"We have very different tastes in music."

"You don't say." Wanda murmured.

Now was not the time for Carol to be a warrior and strategist. Now was time for her to be a friend. She was well aware of what Vision had done. Her head screamed an unstable, dangerous assassin. But her heart said tormented, abused prisoner. And after years of being told to use her head, Carol knew to listen to her heart. She knew what it was like to have blood on her hands, to have no memory. Both she and Bucky could relate to that.

"He's alive." Carol said.

"He remembers _nothing."_

"How can you be so sure? My mind was a blank slate when I woke up on Hala in 1989. But I got my memory back..."

"But you didn't get your head torn apart." Wanda whispered. "He was graverobbed." Tears spilled down her face. "As if that wasn't horrifying enough... I keep thinking about the ghost tour we went on in Edinburgh, a few weeks before he... The tour guide told us about grave robbings that took place there..."

"Hey... thinking about that isn't going to make you feel any better." Wanda didn't respond, staring into space for the longest time. Carol looked at the unwashed cut on her face, the dirt that was still there, her tangled hair. Carol took her hands. "I told you before. You're stronger than this. Please don't shut yourself away again. Don't hurt yourself anymore. Talk to me."

"I... was starting to get over it. As the quinjet was falling, I remembered everything you said to me. I told myself I wanted to live. I was going to live, because that's what he would have wanted."

"He just tried to kill me. Just when I thought I was healing... this happens. He loved me, he could never hurt me! What's worse? I've been lied to all these months? Everyone who survived Wakanda has known and I haven't? He's not dead, but he has no idea who I am? And Sam didn't tell me but I'm not even angry anymore..." Wanda pressed her fingertips to her temples, overwhelmed. "I feel so trapped. And I can't escape..."

Carol wrapped her arms around Wanda, holding her like she would hold a sister. "Listen to me. I won't let you sit here and sulk and go down that dark road again. We're going to do something about this. We all had a long discussion, and all three of us have agreed. We're going to help you free Vision."

"I don't know if that's possible..." Wanda shook her head.

"Well, if we don't try, we'll never know." Said a voice.

Wanda's gaze was icy as she spotted Sam in up the doorway. She felt bad for lashing out at Rhodey and Bruce, although she was finding it a bit more difficult forgive Sam. Carol smiled at her, before she stood and left the room. Wanda and Sam looked at each other, the air tense.

"I made you chamomile tea." Sam came forward, an apologetic look tormenting his face. "In your favourite mug." Wanda looked at the tea, with some oreos sitting on the plate beside it.

"Why do you have an obsession with giving me magic related gifts? You gave me the entire _Harry Potter_ book series for one of my birthdays... and that thing..." Wanda picked up the mug of tea. It was a novelty mug, shaped like a black cauldron with a handle. "I'm wondering how long it'll take for you to run out of ideas." There was a long pause.

"I'm so sorry, Wanda."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn't have. I was just angry..."

"I should have told you the day I found out... "

"I know why you didn't. I just want to know how you knew."

"Steve told me." Sam hesitated. "Before he died."

"He only remembered near the - very end. Remember... in his lifetime, Wakanda happened decades ago. Bucky wasn't with me when he told me. He grabbed my arm all of a sudden, and said he had to tell someone. He said he owed it to Vision for saving his life in Wakanda, that you deserved to know the truth. He said you had the right to know what happened to him. So he told me."

"I didn't know what to think, what to do. This was a few weeks after he gave me his shield and you were fragile. I thought I'd leave it until the time was right, but I guess I didn't think there would ever be a right time. And then the next time Bucky and I went to visit him..."

Wanda knew what happened next. She swallowed hard, tears pricking once again at her eyes. "I understand."

"Are we okay now? You and me?"

Sam not telling her that her dead lover's resting place had been desecrated? Not really. But Wanda could understand why he wouldn't tell her. She would forgive him eventually. She managed a nod, and offered him a small smile.

"If you're up to it, Wanda, we need to discuss what we're going to do next. When you're ready, come to the channel room. Take as long as you need. Maybe have a shower, drink the tea, eat something... We'll be waiting for you."

Sam left the room, leaving the door open. Without thinking about it, Wanda noticed her magic manifesting, moving to close the door. She flicked her wrist, and the energy faded, leaving the door open.

Before she would have closed the door. But not now. For the first time in a long time, Wanda felt the grief lift. She stood, taking a look at herself in the mirror, at the dirt and blood still on her face.

She thought of that ghost tour in Edinburgh, long ago. Vision was so much more than what the world and that masked woman viewed him as. Someone so wary, so sweet, so cautious, so loving. Someone who spoke so formally it was often funny, and yet, he had that mischievous side.

Her grief had omitted that last moment. He had been about to kill her, when she had said that name. _Vizh._ He had frozen, staring at her, somehow knowing under that blank, emotionless canvas... that he knew her. Wanda felt a swell of hope.

_Vision is still there. He's lost... I just need to show him the way._


	18. The plan

_**Hey guys, sorry this chapter came a bit late, I'm just trying to organise the next few chapters and events so they fit together nicely. **_

* * *

"We need to get something straight." Wanda said, as she faced the projections of Bruce and Rhodey. Yes, they had apologised and so had she, but it was still awkward nonetheless. She couldn't touch their minds through the projection, but she knew from the skeptical looks on their faces that they had doubts about the chosen course of action. "We're saving Vision. Agreed?"

"I'm with you." Carol said, and Bucky nodded to show he agreed. All of them were in their battle suits, prepared for anything. For all they knew, the masked woman could have been sending Vision over to the compound to kill them all as they spoke. They couldn't battle him in pyjamas and fluffy socks.

"Me too." Sam said, after a moment's hesitation. While Wanda had been in her room for the majority of the day, he, Carol and Bucky had had a long conversation. As he knew what it was like to be brainwashed, Bucky was the only one absolutely adamant that Vision should be saved. But Sam and Carol had been torn, considering just how dangerous Vision was. They finally came to a mutual agreement, when Carol had thought about what Wanda would want. And Vision had been Sam's friend too.

It seemed as though Bruce and Rhodey were a lot more swayed to stopping Vision as opposed to saving him. Yes, they cared about him, they felt partly responsible, for what had happened. But Bruce was a man of logic and science, and Rhodey always thought of the greater good.

"He's killed people, guys. You can't ignore that." Rhodey pointed out.

"He's been brainwashed." Wanda argued.

"He's dangerous. And he has no memory."

"I've killed hundreds." Bucky said, his voice soft but silencing the argument. "I was caught in a loop for seventy years, my memory was destroyed, over, and over again. But look at me now. I got most of my memory, my life back. Vision has only been in their hold for a few months - and how many people has he killed? It's nothing compared to what I have done."

"Barnes, your situation was different..." Bruce began.

"In what way was it different?" Bucky challenged.

"Well..." he sighed. "For one, you're human."

Wanda gave Bruce a look. He sighed. "I get it. We were all friends with him, we all knew him... But biologically, memory loss in someone like Vision... it's more complicated than it would be in a human mind. Put it this way. Amnesia, through, say, accidents... a lot of the time, there's always something left. Memories aren't completely destroyed, they eventually return. But when memory loss happens through, say, brain surgery, or a lobotomy... it's permanently damage. No memories ever come back."

"So you're saying the nature of how he died could have destroyed everything?" Carol asked, recalling how her own memory had been erased. There had been no physical injury to her head despite her memory loss. Like Wanda said, Carol hadn't had her head ripped open and put back together.

"Yes. What if you free Vision, but there's nothing left for him to remember?"

"It might not be that way." Wanda pushed away the fears and doubts creeping into her mind. "What if it isn't as complex as you think it is? He knew me. He knew... something."

"Wanda, I understand that you might hold onto -"

"I called him 'Vizh.' And he froze."

Bruce's eyes flashed. "Really?"

"You know what else is interesting? This woman, whoever she is? She said that she saw his memories. She saw things only Vision and me had seen. So they're still there - he just can't reach them. What if when we remove the collar, he remembers, or begins to? Maybe you didn't scan him as thoroughly as you thought you did."

"There was a lot we didn't know..." Rhodey said, glancing at Bruce, beginning to be convinced. Bruce hesitated once again.

"I don't know..." he murmured, unsure. "What if you're wrong?"

"I know he's still there. I just know." Wanda said, firmly.

"Look, guys. We're wasting time arguing about whether what could or should be. We need to focus on freeing him. He had some kind of collar on." Sam interjected. "It looked as though it were made of vibranium... she said the government made it not long after Vision was created."

"Surprise, surprise." Bucky muttered under his breath. "I'd bet my arm that Secretary Ross had something to do with it."

"She stole it in five years ago when security was non existent. She could use it to shock him, you know, to force him to do things. And by the sound of it, this collar is what keeps Vision in a frozen state. Like... it halts any emotional response and free will. The woman controls it, through a transmitter, she said, in her mask."

"The mask also meant I couldn't touch her mind." Wanda added, with irritation.

"Seriously?" Rhodey's eyes widened. "Shit."

"It gives her control over Vision. We disable or remove the mask, Vision can't hurt any of us. We can get the collar off him easily. And I can give that woman a piece of my mind... "

"Wanda, I know what she's done, but..." Sam said, cautiously. "Hurting her won't help any of this."

"Not physically." As much as Wanda would enjoy tearing the woman apart like she attempted to with Thanos, she wanted the woman brought to justice. Rotting in a prison was a much worse fate than death. "I might just see if there are any horrors in her brain that I can make her relive." The group shifted uneasily but couldn't find it in themselves to protest.

Carol paced up and down. "We need to discuss this carefully. First of all, Rhodey, Bruce, do you think you guys can help us out? Or do you know anyone who can?"

"I can't physically help you guys out. I can't fight very well anymore." Bruce said, referring to his arm. "I wouldn't be much use against Vision or these people. And I might give you guys away, if you need to sneak into their hiding place."

"I might also give you away, with my unsubtle suit..." Rhodey paused. "And the authorities are all over me at the moment. They might ask questions if I go rushing over to the compound. They might even follow me. I don't want to risk exposing any of this."

"The four of us can do it. I don't think we should tell anyone else about this." Bucky said. "Because the last time Hydra had a wanted assassin - said assassin was issued with a kill on sight order. Spoilers, it was me."

"Buck's right." Sam said, his tone turning serious. "If anyone, the CIA, that idiot Secretary Ross, were to find out what happened to Vision, and what he's done, they wouldn't even discuss it. They would hunt him down... and you too, Wanda."

That was true. If the same people who had written the Sokovia accords learned of what Vision had done, knowing as they did now that Wanda had loved him... they would most certainly not allow her to explain. They were already terrified of her, and Wanda was pretty sure they would leap at any excuse to get rid of her. They would probably send a kill team without hesitation to kill the both of them.

"I know." Wanda once again felt the patch of scarring on her neck.

"We'd never let that happen." Carol said firmly. "They'd have to get past me first."

"Look, if all else fails..." Rhodey reluctantly touched upon a certain, familiar subject. "What if you're wrong about him? If he can't return to who he once was, he'll be too dangerous. What if we have no choice?"

Wanda didn't want to believe what he was suggesting.

"Where are you going with this?"

"I'm saying... none of us could stop him. But your powers are the only thing that could -"

Wanda leapt to her feet, hands crackling violently. _"No." _

"...okay. Not an option, that's fine." Rhodey looked away from Wanda's scalding gaze. Carol reached over to touch her hand, and her magic retreated.

"It won't come to that." Carol assured her. "I promise."

"That's what we said last time..." Wanda was trembling slightly.

"Well it won't. Not this time." Sam insisted. "This situation is different. We have time. Now, we need to focus on finding Vision before he can take out anyone else. Wanda, do you think you could find him?"

"Possibly... sometimes in Europe, I could feel him, if he was distressed, or worried..." There had always been a psychic link between them. But it was never intentional. She had never actively tried to seek him out.

"Try it," Bucky said, encouragingly. "You never know."

* * *

Wanda stepped outside onto the lawn. She paused, gazing at the sky, trying to reach out. She closed her eyes. "Where are you?" She murmured, trying to feel for Vision.

She could feel something. She focused harder, trying to see where he was.

A blurry image filled her mind. She looked around the hazy surroundings, saw a familiar thing in the room, that looked like Helen Cho's cradle, the same thing Vision had been kept in in Hudson Bay. But it was open, empty. Vision wasn't in it. She was confused; if he wasn't here, why was she seeing this?

"-Doctor, you can't take out Nick Fury next. It's far too risky."

"How is it risky? He'll be dead before he can pick up the phone, just like tonight's target." Wanda knew that voice. She turned, and saw the woman. She had her back to Wanda, but she knew it was her. She was wearing the horrible green mask, which Wanda could see better in the light now. It was like T'Challa's mask - a mesh helmet that covered her entire face and covered her hair from view.

Wanda felt rage burning inside her, but couldn't act, for she wasn't really there. How was she seeing this? Had that subconscious, angry part of her tried to reach the woman instead? "Now, Smith, I'm trying to concentrate."

"This bunker is falling apart. We can't stay here for long. So you need to make a decision. Why not send him after the witch? She'll come for him, and they'll be no stopping her! We all saw his memories. She'll tear through this bunker like tissue paper and kill us all for good measure. Why not cut to the chase and kill her now?"

"No. I need her alive..."

"Keep your personal interests out of this, Josephine. You said this was purely for the benefit of Hydra -"

"I told you, I'm trying to concentrate!" The woman - Josephine - spun round and shot the man in the head. The man crumpled to the ground, killed instantly.

Wanda felt a wave of horror and sickness overcome her, and she broke out of the scene. _Vision_, she reminded herself. _Look for Vision._ Then there was another image appearing. She stood in front of a large, dark building, surrounded by spruce trees. She heard the crunching of gravel behind her, and turned. Vision stood there, staring at the house.

Wanda gasped and found herself back on the lawn.

"Wanda!" Sam, Bucky and Carol were racing toward her, for she had fallen to the ground at some point during her search.

"I'm fine..." Wanda insisted, as Sam helped her to her feet. "The masked woman's name is Josephine..."

"Did you see where they were?"

"They're keeping Vision in another bunker somewhere... they said it's falling apart. But I didn't see where. But Vision isn't there right now. He's somewhere else, he's on a mission. It was this big, ugly building surrounded by spruce trees..."

"Wait," Carol said, quickly. "Did this big ugly building have tinted windows and iron gates?"

"Uh - yes." Wanda frowned. "How did you know..." but Carol was already pacing, a habit she took on when when deep in thought. "Carol, where has he gone to? Who lives there?"

"But... he's not there right now. " Carol said to herself, with a frown. "He's away..."

"Who's 'he'? You know where that is? " Bucky asked, urgently.

"Yes. That's Fury's house. Son of a bitch..." anger crept into Carol's voice. "Come on! Nick isn't there right now, but if Vision is, this could be our chance!" Without pausing for breath or to answer any questions, Carol shot into the sky like a shooting star, and as it dawned upon Wanda, she closely followed.

"Wait for us!" Sam protested, grabbing Bucky by the collar as he took off after them.


	19. Home invasion

Carol, Sam and Wanda landed on the gravel, Bucky landing a few seconds later in a cloud Wanda's magic. It was the house Wanda had seen from where she reached out. A large, dark, terrifying looking building, with tinted glass in every window and iron gates separating it from the forest. It looked like a fortress. There was no sign of Vision, or Nick Fury.

Carol spun round to face them all. "Guys, please don't panic. I know for a fact that Nick isn't here." Wanda was amazed at by oddly calm Carol was about this, and not worried in the slightest. She herself was on edge, worrying that something awful could have happened to Nick Fury.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't think I'm allowed to tell you where he is... okay. He's on a mission in space with some of my skrull friends." Carol said, casually. "He just left. It's all top secret, so, you know - don't tell anyone." Before any of them could absorb this she hurried toward a peculiar looking front door. It didn't even look like a door.

"How do we get in?" Sam looked at the rectangle with no door handle.

"Nick Fury can't just have a good old front door that anyone could break open. Of course, he entrusted me with a key." Carol produced what resembled a remote, with a red button. "Observe." She pressed the button once. Nothing. She pressed it again, several times. "...or we can just let ourselves in the old fashioned way."

"Old fashioned way? Does he have a key hidden under a brick somewhere, or -" Bucky was cut short by a crashing sound. Carol kicked down the door with a glowing foot, and sent it flying out of the frame. "I'm both frightened, and in awe of her." He said, stepping over the pieces of wood and metal on the ground.

They separated, with Bucky and Sam heading upstairs with guns drawn, while Carol headed into the basement. Wanda began searching the ground floor. Her heart thudded in her chest as she felt through the house, feeling for him. She didn't seem to detect anything, but Wanda didn't trust herself in that moment. He could be anywhere.

Wanda paused in the front room. To her surprise, she saw a cat bed and scratching post against the wall, with various cat toys scattered about. She sometimes forgot that Nick had been looking after Goose before he had come to the compound, and she still couldn't believe that the scary and terrifying Nick Fury was a cat person.

_"Nothing in the basement!"_ Carol reported from the earpiece.

_"We're searching the upstairs, there's a third floor to search too. Can't hear or see anything. Anything, Wanda?"_

"No. The place is empty... it feels empty." After a few minutes of searching and running around the house, it was clear that nobody was home. Nick Fury wasn't there, and Vision wasn't hiding anywhere either.

_"Okay, Avengers, assemble on the upstairs floor. Bucky found a camera room." _

Wanda and Carol headed upstairs, and found Sam and Bucky in a small room. It was full of the latest technology, holographic screens showing live footage.

Sam went up, fingers busily moving on the screens. "Let's rewind, shall we?"

Every screen began rewinding at accelerated speed. All four of them stared at the screens for about a minute.

"Stop!" Wanda exclaimed, suddenly, and Sam halted the footage. "There." She lifted her hand, her fingertips resting on the screen that showed the living room.

"Who is that?" Bucky asked, not recognising the person on screen.

"It's Vision. He could make himself look human." Wanda was surprised that Vision could still do that. Josephine and her scientists must have done some very thorough repairs. She frowned. "It would also be perfect for him to get into secure facilities without being recognised... or by the victims, in case they managed to escape... nobody else ever knew about his disguise."

"Josephine is clever. It also means she wasn't lying when she said she saw his memories. That confirms it - they're still there." Sam said, giving Wanda a look of optimism, before playing the footage.

The camera reel showed Vision wandering through the living room. For a few minutes, all four of them tracked his movements throughout the house, watching him inspect every room, every possible hiding place. The electroshock collar activated at least twice in the search. It was very difficult for Wanda to watch.

Eventually, finding that the house was empty, Vision phased through the wall and the camera showing the outside front showed him flying into the trees, where he disappeared. This was about an hour earlier.

"Right. And we've lost him again... what do we do next?"

Before any of them could begin to discuss what they could do now, Wanda's phone started to ring. She didn't carry it on missions, but they had left the compound in such a hurry she forgot it was still in her trouser pocket.

Clint's name was on the screen, and for once Wanda felt annoyed to see that he was calling. "Now is not a good time to ask me to babysit." Wanda went to decline the call, but then something told her to answer it.

"Clint, this really isn't the best..."

"Aunt Wanda?"

"Lila?" There was a fumbling and a thump as Wanda guessed the phone was dropped. More fumbling followed as someone else picked it up, and there was the background sound of Cooper and Lila arguing with one another. Nate's soft voice came out.

"Daddy ran into the woods... a man was chasing him..."

The phone slipped through Wanda's fingers.

* * *

Not long before the call, Lila, Cooper and Nathaniel had been playing a board game on the floor of the living room.

"No, Nate. It's called _Snakes_ and Ladders."

"They look like slugs."

"They look _nothing_ like slugs." Cooper said, rolling his eyes. Lila shook her head in disapproval, before tossing the dice across the board with a little too much enthusiasm. She dived across the carpet but it was too late - the dice went tumbling under the couch.

Lila lay on her stomach, stretching her arm under the couch to try and reach it.

"There's more upstairs..."

"Nah, let's just move the couch, it'll only take a second..." Cooper began to move the couch, not noticing that Nathaniel had quickly grown impatient and had began climbing the stairs in search of more dice.

He toddled down the corridor to the spare room, where most of their games were kept. He wandered in, only to pause, confused to see an unfamiliar man standing in there. The man was tall, pale with blonde hair and black clothing.

"Who are you?" He asked, in his soft child voice.

Vision slowly turned to face the tiny human being standing in the doorway. Even in the strange state he was in, his natural instinct was not to harm the child. _Not target._ He heard the cold, distorted voice in his head. Without saying a word to Nathaniel, Vision phased through the wall.

Nathaniel stood there, open mouthed, before turning and hurried down the stairs as fast as his toddler legs would carry him. "Lil! Coop!"

"There's the dice!" Cooper exclaimed, as Lila grabbed it. "What number did it land on?"

"I didn't see, might just roll it again -"

"No, no, nice try! Whatever number it landed on goes! Let me guess, it landed on one?"

"I didn't look before I picked it up! You're just worried because I'm about to win -"

"There's a man upstairs."

Lila and Cooper froze and looked at their little brother, standing at the bottom of the stairs. "What did you just say?" Lila asked, half confused, half concerned.

"There's a man upstairs. He walked through the wall." Nate said. Cooper and Lila looked at each other. And then they looked upstairs.

"Maybe he's just seen a ghost." Cooper laughed, not believing it. There was no sounds to suggest an intruder was up there. Besides, how could someone have gotten in? They had been in the living room for hours. "I told you we shouldn't have used that Ouija board -"

Cooper stopped laughing when he heard a thump on the wooden floors above them. Lila looked up, wide eyed, before facing her little brother.

"You're being serious, Nate? You're not joking around?" Nathaniel nodded, and the seriousness of the situation dawned upon Lila and Cooper.

Someone was in the house with them.

"Quick." Lila grabbed Nathaniel. The kids ran to the back door, knowing that their father was working on the tractor in the shed. But they froze at the door, spotting a tall figure walking past the chicken coop, toward the shed.

"That's not dad." Whispered Cooper.

"Just start already..." Clint muttered, trying and failing to start the tractor. Vision stepped over the dirt ground, bumping into a rake as he did. It fell to the ground, and Clint naturally turned to see what the sound was. There was no one there, but he saw the rake on the ground, which he knew for a fact had been propped against the wall.

"Lil? Boys?" When he got no answer, Clint slowly rose to his feet, reaching toward the bow and arrows he kept hanging on the shed wall. He knew it wasn't his kids playing a prank on him. It was quiet... too quiet. Despite the absolute silence, he could sense something watching him, feel a pair of eyes in the dark.

In a swift motion, he had an arrow drawn. He whirled round, and pointed the arrow at the back of the shed.

"I see you. You chose the wrong place to rob, buddy." Clint hissed, arrow drawn and pointed at the stranger's chest. He had never seen Vision in his human form, so he had no idea who he was facing. To him, this just looked like a typical intruder.

With his kids not present, Clint felt a familiar violent wave rise within him, a wave that hadn't completely disappeared, even after getting his family back. He eyed the katana hanging on the opposite wall, prepared to get this home invader out by any means necessary.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid? Get the hell off my property before I use you for target practice!" Clint hesitated with the arrow, tilting his head at the intruder after a moment of staring him down. There seemed to be something oddly familiar about the stranger's facial features.

_Kill him. _The cold voice sounded. But Vision didn't move at all. Something deep inside him stirred, but it remained beyond his reach. When he still didn't move, Josephine screamed in his head.

_What are you waiting for?_ Vision fell to the floor, hands prying at the flashing collar around his neck. Through the blazing pain, Vision's human form slipped. Clint stared, eyes wide with shock, as he recognised the man screaming on the floor.

"Vision?" He said, in disbelief. Once again Vision looked up and froze at the sound of his name. "How... what... but you're dead. You were..."

_Kill him! Now!_ screamed the woman, activating the collar once more. Vision once again screamed, but this time, he staggered to his feet, and surged toward Clint. Clint realized with horror that Vision didn't recognise him. He was moving toward him in a very threatening manner.

"Shit!" Clint stumbled back, fumbling to draw a different kind of arrow. "What the hell is wrong with you? It's me, Clint!" He seized one of his arrows and shot it, and the arrow electrified Vision. He began convulsing, struggling to pry the arrow free.

Clint ran out of the shed.

"Hide!" Clint yelled at Cooper, Lila, and Nate, who were standing on the back porch. "Call your Aunt Wanda! Now!" The kids fled back into the house, to get the phone. He spun round, and saw Vision stagger out of the shed. He shot yet another electrified arrow, before bolting into the woods.

Clint raced through the trees, a million questions in his mind. He didn't know where he could go where Vision wouldn't find him. All he was knew was to lure Vision as far away from his house and his kids as possible. _The old treehouse. _He could only think of that as a place to hide.

He found it, and scrabbled to climb up the tree. It hadn't been tended to for five years; it was practically falling apart, wild with overgrowth and ivy, weathered by years of rain and wind. They hadn't gotten round to replacing it yet, despite his kids nagging him constantly to begin work on it. He climbed inside and closed the half rotted curtain, crawling back into the corner.

Slowly, Clint peered through the little window. He was hypersensitive to every sound; he heard hundreds of twigs snapping in all directions, the rustle of branches and crunch of leaves. He recalled that look Vision had given him. Those eyes... void, empty, of emotion or recognition. And that terrified him.

Clint felt his heart racing, blood roaring in his ears, as he saw the dark figure that was undoubtedly Vision fly into view. "Goddammit... I'm going to die..." He whispered, before he saw Vision's head turn rapidly in his direction. Clint ducked behind the windowframe, hardly daring to breathe.

All fell eerily quiet. He heard the whistle of the wind move through the treehouse, and there was the cream and groan of rotting wood. He could sense Vision coming closer. He shrank into the back of the tree house, backing into the leaves and overgrowth that was taking over the wall, praying he couldn't be seen or sensed. He saw Vision pass the tree house wall, and Clint glimpsed his cape as he moved past the half-covered window.

There as no sound or movement for some time. He almost thought... Vision wasn't outside anymore.

Clint screamed when a red fist came crashing through the rotting wall beside his head.


	20. Promises

"Back here!" Bucky yelled from the back door. Wanda and Carol ran across the room and outside, and found Bucky by the shed. The door was open, showing the three terrified kids. Lila had the practise bow, while Cooper had a rake in hand, with little Nate oblivious to the danger, holding onto the hem of his sister's cardigan and looking more curious than anything.

"Oh, thank god!" Wanda hugged all three of them. "Where's Laura?"

"Book club... she's not here." Was all Cooper and Lila could say.

"Your dad? Which way?" the three kids pointed into the woods.

"I'll stay with them, go!" Bucky exclaimed, and Wanda didn't need to be told twice. She and Carol leapt into the air and took off towards the woods.

"I'll go east, so we can cover more ground! Sam, do you see anything?"

_"No, no sign of struggle, no sign of either of them."_

Carol swiftly flew off into the dark, while Wanda went in the opposite direction, descending to the forest floor. "Clint!" She yelled, knowing that calling to Vision would be pointless. "Answer me!"

Wanda ran through the dark forest, looking in all directions, throwing orbs of her magic through the trees to light up the woods. She spun in a circle, desperately looking in all directions. "Please, Clint." She whispered. "Please don't do this to me..."

Wanda had been running through the woods for about a minute when a scream rang out in the distance. She whipped round. "_Did you hear that?" _Sam exclaimed, and Wanda heard the mechanical sound of his wings as he zoomed by somewhere in earshot. _"I'm going in!"_

Clint crashed to the ground. "I don't know what the hell is happening! But I know one thing! You know me!"

_Repeat everything I say. _Josephine issued a command for Vision to speak. Vision's unmistakable voice came out. It was the same, but... colder, robotic, not his words. "No he doesn't. Not anymore." The instructions continued, as empty words Vision didn't understand but couldn't control came from his mouth. Vision walked slowly toward Clint, who frantically crawled backwards.

"Did you really think you could get away with killing so many people throughout the five years? Do their faces watch you from the windows? Do their screams echo through the woods? Do they hover over your bed like demons in the night?"

Clint stared up at Vision in horror, speechless. Before he could say anything, a red, white and blue blur came flying into view, hitting Vision in the back of the head. Sam flew into the clearing, seizing Clint by the shirt as he flew by.

"Sam! What the hell?" Clint yelled, legs flailing, as he clawed to keep a grip on Sam's arm.

"I'll explain later!" Sam looked over his shoulder, to see Vision following not far behind.

The dark evening was suddenly lit up as a beam fired from the new stone in his head. "Look out!" Screamed Clint, as he dangled from Sam's hand. Wanda emerged from the canopy, lashing out with her hands, blocking the energy beam. Sam hesitated, while Clint clung to him, staring at Wanda with disbelief in his eyes.

"Go!" She yelled. "I'll handle this. Get Clint out of here!" Sam nodded before speeding off toward the house, leaving them facing one another. "Carol, I need you. Look for my light."

Vision was frozen once again, eyes fixed on Wanda, unable to hear the infuriated orders of the woman in his head until she electrocuted him. Wanda felt sick as she saw the cruel light around his neck, and even more so when Vision began to move toward her in a threatening manner. "You know me. You know you do."

"I'm not going to fight you." Wanda said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Vizh. I know you're still in there, and that this isn't you. You would never do this. Don't worry, I'll get you out. I can help you."

"Go to hell." Wanda felt a jolt when she heard Vision's voice for the first time in so long. But she knew they weren't his words. This wasn't Vision she was speaking to. Even though it was Vision's emotionless face, she could almost feel Josephine's cold grey eyes burning into her from behind the goggles of her mask. "Let's talk, shall we?"

"First you use Vision to do your dirty work, and now you send him after Clint? Why? He's no threat to you! You've crossed a line, Josephine. "

"Don't call me that."

"What else am I supposed to call you?" Wanda said, bitterly. "Now answer the question! Why would you send Vision after Clint?"

"It's nothing personal."

"You used him!" Wanda snapped. "You sent him after people I care about! Believe me, it feels deeply personal."

"Clint Barton is hardly an innocent man. He killed many of the last Hydra rats too, in those five years. Scientists that would have been useful in resurrecting your precious android sooner."

"I don't need access to your mind to know that you're lying to me. What did I ever do to you?"

Josephine didn't answer her. Vision leapt forward. Wanda lurched backwards, blocking his attacks with inches to spare. Once again, Vision relayed Josephine's message to her.

"He can't hear you! He's dead! Get over it!"

They fell to the forest floor, and they rolled across the leaves, struggling to get the upper hand. Merely defending herself from his attacks wasn't going to get her anywhere - she had to fight back. Wanda launched a weak orb of energy at him, not enough to hurt him, but enough to make him stagger.

This was her chance. Wanda's hands flew to Vision's head, and he grew immobile, the unfamiliar stone turning scarlet as Wanda began searching, searching for anything - memories, where she would find Josephine, where he was being kept. But the collar was interfering, blocking her access to his mind. She could hold him, but not read him.

Wanda saw a blazing light in the corner of her eye. It was Carol, at last. This was it. This was their chance.

"Carol!" Wanda screamed. "The collar! _The collar!"_

_No, no! _Screamed the woman's voice in Vision's head. _Break free! Don't let her!_

Carol ran to Vision, and began desperately trying to pry the collar off. "It won't budge!"

"Try harder!" Wanda cried, her control over Vision slipping when the collar activated. Carol grunted as the full force of the electricity burned into her hands, but she wasn't shaken off. She continued desperately trying to pull the collar off, but when she felt it give ever so slightly, Vision released a piercing scream, making Wanda's heart leap into her throat. "Hurry up!"

"There's a set of prongs or teeth connecting the collar into his skin. If I use too much force..." Carol looked up at her. "I can't remove it without hurting him! Use your powers, you might be able to get it off safely!"

The collar around Vision's throat suddenly turned red as Wanda attempted to remove it herself. Distracted, it was enough for Vision to break free of her influence. He struck out his elbow, hitting Carol in the stomach and sending her flying. He caught Wanda by the arm, and tossed her across the forest floor. Wanda struck her head, and this briefly stunned her. A few moments later, a hand shook her.

Wanda looked up in a daze, to see Carol's face hovering over her, short hair full of autumn leaves. "He's gone."

* * *

Wanda was about to drop everything and follow Vision back to wherever the new Siren hideout was, but something else overpowered this. The kids. Clint, who had almost died because of Vision. If they had arrived any later, would he be dead? His head caved in, his neck snapped, like all those other victims? What if she hadn't had her phone on her? What if the kids hadn't been so aware of their surroundings and continued to play their boardgame, unaware that their father was going to die?

She had to tell him what was going on. He deserved to know the truth.

_What the hell am I going to say to Clint? My old boyfriend is alive and he just nearly killed you and your kids, but it's okay because a woman who runs around in a glowing green mask has brainwashed him?_

After reporting what happened over the earpieces, Wanda and Carol made their way back to the Barton house. Carol attempted to comfort her.

"We'll figure it out. Your powers could probably remove it safely..."

"We tried and look what happened. We didn't even loosen it."

"Look, maybe it'll be easier once Josephine isn't in control. We need to get the mask off her. Then Vision won't fight so much. We can remove it safely."

_ "Guys, Redwing has eyes on Vision. He's flying west and he hasn't spotted us yet, so hopefully we'll manage to find where he's headed."_

_ "Thanks, Sam. Location?"_

_ "Kitchen. Wanda, I think you and Clint need to have a conversation. I explained to him how why and when, but you guys need to talk."_

_ "Okay. I'll be a minute."_

On their way there, they saw Bucky with Nate, Cooper and Lila by the chicken coop. With the danger confirmed to be over - danger which had flown over Nate's head - the toddler had dragged Bucky out to meet Natasha, Queenie, Dolly, and Daisy. He was keeping the kids busy now.

"Is he gone?" Cooper asked.

"Yes, the others... chased him off." Bucky looked toward Wanda and Carol as they entered from the trees.

"I don't even know how the robber could have got in... nothing was taken, it's weird." Lila said, clearly confused, but the two preteens didn't seem shaken or traumatised, to Wanda's relief. She was also relieved, when she realized the kids only thought the intruder was just a robber, and not anything more sinister.

"Maybe he just didn't have the opportunity." Bucky suggested, as Carol headed over. "Would you kids like to hear about space? She's the expert, you know..."

"Tell us about the battle to save the universe! You were both there, right?"

Wanda stepped into the house, leaving Carol and Bucky to entertain the kids. Clint was sitting on the couch, coffee in hand, looking deep in thought. Sam stood in kitchen, staring at his wrist device. "Stay far back. He's very vigilant, I need you to show me where he goes..." He gave Wanda a thumbs up, to indicate that the pursuit was going well. She nodded before heading across to sit on the couch beside Clint.

"Clint, I..." Wanda twisted her rings around her fingers, a habit she took on when nervous. How was he going to react to this? "Are you hurt?"

Clint's expression was unreadable. "No, I'm fine. You guys swooped in the nick of time."

"I'm so sorry... "

"My kids were in this house. He nearly killed me. And he said some pretty horrible things."

"They weren't his words..."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, didn't even give us a warning! _And -"_

Wanda prepared herself for an argument, but it never came.

"I need to know. Are you okay? This must all be quite a shock... I'm fact, I think _I'm_ in shock... that must be why I'm not feeling as angry as I should. I'm just glad all four of my kids are safe."

_Four? _At first Wanda thought he meant that Laura was pregnant again, but then it dawned upon her what he really meant. She had come to view him as a father figure, and this statement touched her. But wasn't he going to shout at her for putting him and his kids in such danger? Yell at her to get out and never come back?

She sensed that he was angry, but trying to be understanding. She confided in Clint what happened, and his underlying anger soon faded. He sat there, listening to every word, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh my god. That's unbelievable."

"It sure is, but it's true."

"So... what's your plan?"

"I'm going to find him and remove that collar. I'm going to give Josephine a piece of my mind. And then I'll bring Vision home, and try and help him find his way back."

"And... how are you feeling about all this? I never saw you guys together, but I know you loved him. I know you loved him a lot."

"I'm angry, more than anything. I want to find that woman who's been controlling him, and set her on fire..."

"Mind control." Clint's gaze retreated inwards. "I know how that feels. Believe me. To be locked out of your own head, to be under someone else's spell. I still don't know how many people Loki made me kill. If I criticised your decision to go after him I would be a real hypocrite."

"Look. This whole night and what we all should have and could have done is a conversation for another time, I think time isn't on our side right now. I know how much he means to you. Do you want my help? Want me to come out of retirement for five minutes?" Wanda briefly considered it, but then shook her head.

"Thank you, Clint, but I don't want you in danger again. Besides, Laura and your kids need you here. When does she come home?"

"A few hours. Don't worry, I won't tell her who it was who broke in. I'll let her and kids believe it was just a random guy."

"Please, don't tell anyone else about it. We're trying to keep it as secret as possible. I don't want to know what they'll do to Vision if they find out what he's done."

"Of course."

"Wanda! I found where Vision is." Her head snapped up toward Sam. "Redwing saw him entering a bunker-like building a few miles west. We need to move."

"Okay. I'll be out in a moment." Wanda stood up as Sam headed outside to let Bucky and Carol know. Wanda paused before leaving, reluctant to leave Clint and the kids alone. "Will you be alright?"

"We'll be fine. I'll be on lookout for anything suspicious. I can handle anything." Wanda knew this to be true. She eyed the tattoo sleeve, and how the hair growing on the sides of his head hadn't quite caught up to the hair on top. He had told her all about his dark descent, and she knew he was very capable of fighting off any other intruder who were to come to the house.

"But what if he or anyone else comes back?"

"Well, Laura and I were discussing taking a vacation with the kids the other day... maybe we could stay out of the country for a little while. Until this Siren threat is over."

"Again, I'm so sorry... "

"We can discuss this properly another time. But nobody got h urt, that's the most important thing. Good luck, and please, promise me - be careful. Call me if you need me."

"I promise."


	21. A trap

The four of them followed the path Redwing provided. They flew over some pine trees, deep into the wilderness. Carol looked over her shoulder at Wanda, concerned by the dark red glow in her eyes, the wisps of energy crackling around her like electricity. A dark cloud had descended over Wanda's face, and she had been silent for a while now. For good reason.

"We need to plan this carefully." Sam said.

"How many times have we said that in the last few days?" Bucky asked, from where he flew in a cloud of Wanda's magic, as had become the norm when they didn't have a jet available.

"Well, this plan should work." Sam insisted. "Redwing did some scans and it's true what you said, Wanda - the bunker they're in is really falling apart. It's ancient, situated by a large river with an underground one crossing over. The water is going to eventually break through if they don't leave soon. I'm saying let's keep magic and photon blasts to a minimum, unless we want to swim our way out."

"Good idea." Carol nodded in agreement. "We'll be careful."

"Or perhaps once we free Vision... we could flood the place. Make sure no rats escape the sinking ship... " Wanda had never suggested anything so dark, and it took all three of the others by surprise. After what had happened, Wanda had been simmering in anger throughout the whole flight, her fears and distress turning to rage.

"You're saying we deliberately destroy this bunker? With everyone in it?" Bucky asked, taken aback.

"Why not?" Wanda challenged. "They're dangerous people. Josephine is demented, do you really think she'll just let us walk in and walk out with Vision? That she'll just leave Clint alone?"

"But when they don't have Vision anymore, they'll have no one left to do their dirty work." Carol pointed out. "We could bring them to justice instead. Tell the authorities what she's been up to."

"I thought that too, at first. But what's to stop Josephine and her team from blabbing about Vision to the government, or the CIA? I'm not going to free him, only to lose him again." Wanda wasn't just angry. She was thinking logically as well. Perhaps leaving Josephine and the rest of Siren alive was too risky...

"I see your point." Sam said, considering it himself. "But we don't know the situation with her team. Maybe they're just following orders. They might have families."

This dampened the flame of anger in Wanda's chest. "Okay. But I'm still going to give Josephine a piece of my mind."

Wanda flew ahead of them, wanting to be alone with her thoughts. _Don't be like this. _Said the softer voice inside her head. Revenge wouldn't help anything. Killing those people wouldn't make her feel better, if anything it would make her feel worse. She had enough guilt to deal with.

Should she be angry at Vision for almost killing Clint? It was difficult not to. She needed to discuss things with him, but what if he took a long time to remember everything, if he could at all? Clint, and Wakanda. Their pain, what she did to him, all for nothing. How could she sit on that issue for weeks, months - years - or forever? How could she know all that, and Vision know _nothing?_

Ten minutes later, they landed in the undergrowth, quietly making their way forwards. Peering out from behind the bushes, they saw a hatch in the earth, with two men guarding it. The moonlight reflected off the river a little distance though the trees, as well as the large firearms they both carried. Redwing lay in the leaves, covered in bullet holes with pieces of metal littering the ground beside it.

"Great." Sam muttered, before they retreated some way so they wouldn't be heard. He extended his wrist, and after a few moments, a hologram appeared, showing an interior scan of the bunker. "The blue lines represent water. This side of the bunker is very close to the river channel, and there's a lot of pressure building on that thin wall on the lower floor. That's the weak spot, so we need to watch that."

"There's a bigger problem. It's crawling with people." Bucky pointed at the red glow of the upper floors, which indicated a lot of moving thermal energy. The rest of the floors were dark except for a distant room isolated from the swarm of people, which had a small spot of thermal radiation. It also happened to have the highest energy field, as the yellow indicated. "And I bet that's where Vision is. How do we get past those people on the first floor?"

"You know... going back to what Wanda suggested earlier." Carol began. "Flooding it wouldn't be a bad idea. If I go into the river, a photon blast to the riverbed could destabilise the bunker enough so it begins to flood slowly. As they evacuate we can sneak in, destroy the mask, grab Vision, and -"

"Uh, Captains?" Bucky said, suddenly. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think Wanda has her own plan." Sam and Carol turned to see that Wanda had vanished. Then they heard the distant scream of men, followed by gunfire.

The three of them went racing toward the bunker, and the sound of gunfire ceased as they drew near. They entered the scene to see two men laying unconscious, the door to the bunker torn off it's hinges.

It was a scene of chaos. They arrived at the foot of the stairs to find a sea of weapons on the ground, either crushed or torn to pieces. Several people lay at the foot of the walls, unconscious from where they had been thrown headfirst into the stone. They ran down the corridor and into the next, where the dark hall was filled with glowing tendrils of red light. Wanda stood there, her hand extended toward three people who were pointing guns at her.

Bullets struck the wall of magic and fell to the ground, crushed, and the three gunmen went flying with a flick of her wrist. Their eyes began to glow as red as Wanda's, and then the screaming began. Her dormant power had come back with a vengeance.

They began blindly staggering about, frantically looking around at things Wanda could not see, wailing and screaming. One was crawling frantically across the floor, hands smacking at the ground and their clothes, as if covered in a swarm of insects. Another, begging someone not to leave them. The third was running away, screams echoing off the walls.

Finally, the coast was clear. Wanda turned, finally noticing Carol, Sam and Bucky, staring at her, looking a little scared. "Well it worked, didn't it?" She said, nonchalantly. "Come on. Let's go get him." She headed down the hall. Carol looked at Sam with wide eyes.

"Was she always this scary?"

"Sometimes."

They made their way through the bunker, not encountering any living soul. Oddly enough the entrance was the only part that was guarded. Fewer people are here than there were in Hudson Bay. No more scientists, just guards.

Finally, they reached the place where Vision was being kept.

There were two rooms up ahead, the first they had to walk through had more of what they had seen before - sketches, plans for gadgets and evil looking inventions. The handwriting on each one varied, as if written by many different people. Some of it was even in other languages. "I bet they stole some of these designs. Some of them are dated the same year we vanished." Bucky remarked, when he paused to read some of them.

"Let's hurry up." Sam said, uneasily, and they headed into the next room, where the cradle was, lit up and closed. He and the others began moving around the cradle, trying to see how to open it.

Wanda went to follow, but the papers scattered about caught her eye.

That was a picture of her. She made her way over to it. There she was, levitating in the air just above a flaming truck in Scotland, as she flew towards the church roof where Vision was screaming. More grainy cctv images of her. Vision wasn't the main focus at all. Most of them - all of them - were of Wanda.

In every single one she was using her powers. It wasn't just Scotland either - archive footage of previous missions, screenshots of videos on the internet, where she had been filmed using her powers by people with their phones. There was cctv images from Sokovia, Lagos, and more.

Why would Josephine have these? It didn't make sense. Wasn't she only interested in Vision?

"I don't like this." Carol frowned. "It's too quiet... too easy."

"You're right." A distorted voice said.

Before Wanda could turn, she felt a searing pain. She collapsed to the ground, and Josephine emerged from the shadows, her green and black suit glowing to life. She moved toward Wanda on the floor, as Vision phased out from the wall, having never been in the cradle in the first place.

A metal door suddenly formed in the doorway, sealing Wanda off from the others. Josephine issued a silent command to Vision, and to Wanda's horror, he phased into the locked room.


	22. No context

_**A more lengthy chapter than usual to kick off 2020. Happy New year, everyone!**_

Josephine had a tazer in her gloved hand, the wires piercing into Wanda's neck. She leaned over Wanda who lay convulsing on the floor, the creepy mask looming over her face like some kind of demon. "Give up, witch. It may be the same body, but Vision is dead. You know what, that isn't even an accurate term. He's been deactivated. Shut down for good -"

"He's not a computer!" She forced the words out despite the electricity coursing through her. "He was more human than most people. More than you ever could be -"

Josephine proceeded to up the voltage, causing Wanda to scream in pain. "He will _never_ remember you. He's not human, as much as he tried to be, as convincing as his disguise is. That's not how his memory works. His memory is just a glorified filing cabinet."

Vision seized Sam by the arm, the stone glowing in his head. Carol shot a weak photon blast at his leg, making him stagger, and causing the beam to slice through the air.

"No! Don't let him -" Bucky began, before it struck the wall, sending concrete flying. They covered their heads, and when they looked up, the blackened gouge in the wall began gushing water.

"For fu-" Carol began, before Vision turned on her. "Uh oh. I didn't mean to shoot you in the leg -"

Sam ran forwards as Vision moved swiftly toward Carol. "Bucky, start trying the keypad! Hydra dates, anything!"

Josephine's eyes moved to Wanda's hands, which were glowing faintly as the electrocution hindered her powers. "What I could do with the power that flows through your veins..."

For whatever reason, Josephine resented her - Wanda could feel the hatred rolling off her. But underneath that, there was clinical fascination and - something else. The mask was still blocking her real access to Josephine's mind, so Wanda couldn't place what that was.

But something inside her was terrified. She almost felt her magic recoiling into her, as if it were hiding from the cold, yearning gaze of Josephine. Despite the electricity burning through her, Wanda focused on an object in the background, and summoned all of her strength to make it move.

The chair crashed into the back of Josephine's head. She crumpled to the floor, face first amongst the smashed pieces of wood. Wanda reached up, and yanked the wires out of her neck. She struggled to sit up, gasping, her hair full of static from the electricity. A few drops of her blood fell to the ground as she tossed the wires away, crushing the tazer with her powers. She feeling a tickling sensation as the shallow wound in her neck began to bleed.

Bucky punched the keypad with his metal fist, reducing it to a crushed piece of metal, but the door didn't open. He whirled round, helpless, watching as Sam and Carol attempted to pry at the collar, as Vision effortlessly phased through their attempts.

Wanda staggered to her feet, attempting to open the door, but like the other side, there was a keypad. She looked at the floor, and saw water pooling out from under the door. Not thinking clearly, Wanda didn't hear Josephine stagger to her feet, hastily swiping the broken taser and the bloodied wires from the ground. She released a shriek when Josephine seized her by the hair.

The water continued to rush in, and the gouge in the wall seemed to be getting bigger. Stones were crumbling from around the gap, causing more water to rush in. It was now knee height. Vision threw Carol head first into the wall, and she struggled to rise.

Then he leapt at Sam, and the both of them crashed into the water. Sam went under the surface, as Vision held him down, trying to drown him. He fought against him, but the more he struggled, the more Vision increased his density. Sam's lungs began screaming for air, and he began to panic, his arms and legs flailing.

Suddenly, the weight above Sam lifted. Sam burst from the water, gasping to refill his lungs. Bucky was tearing at the collar on Vision's neck with his vibranium fingers. Sparks flew and there was the sound of crushing metal. Communication between him and Josephine was lost, and then Vision fell back onto his hands, up to his chest in the water. He sat there, twitching, eyes not quite blank, but still frozen, in stasis.

Bucky crouched beside him, continuing to pull at the collar. Vision's only reaction was to flinch with pain. "I can't get the rest off!"

"Keep trying! I'll help Wanda!" Carol picked herself up from where she had been thrown, and she charged toward the doorway. Sam and Bucky covered their heads as concrete and metal went flying. The water finally had somewhere to go, and it cascaded into the corridor, sweeping around the knees of Josephine and Wanda.

Carol charged forwards, ablaze, but as she prepared to shoot the glowing mask, she froze. Wanda was staring at her with wide eyes, the mask peering out from her shoulder. A thin stream of blood was visible in the right side of her neck, where the wires had pierced her. Josephine held her by the hair. And there was a gun, pressed to Wanda's ribcage.

"Right. Let's not make a mess here, shall we?" Josephine hissed, aware now that she had lost control over Vision. She tried to conceal her panic. "Let's deal with this like grown ups. You all leave right now, and we won't have to see what specific shade of red her organs are."

Carol immediately stopped glowing, raising her hands in surrender. "We can talk about this. No one has to get hurt." She tried to sound calm, but inside she was terrified that she was about to watch her new friend die.

Wanda felt the cold metal of the gun press against her jacket. She could deflect bullets, but she was doubtful she could do it with the gun so close.

She looked through the doorway, across the room at Vision. Sam and Bucky, who had dragged him to stand, were frozen by his side. He looked back with a strange, not quite empty stare. His fingers twitched and his eyes were locked on her. The collar around his throat was making a strange sparking noise like a live wire, as it still remained active.

"Well? I don't have all day!" Josephine snapped, aggressively.

Wanda looked at the gun in Josephine's hand. She could try it. It would be risky, but she could try it... her hand edged closer to it, tiny tendrils of energy forming around her fingers. Carol's hazel eyes flickered to the gun and Wanda's faintly glowing hand. She tried not to jump as she heard Wanda's voice in her mind.

_"Carol. No matter what I do, shoot her in the face. It should damage or destroy the transmitter."_

_"You're too close! I don't want to shoot you back in time!"_

_"Just do it. On the count of three." _Their eyes met across the room.

_"__I hope you know what you're doing."_

_"One, two - three."_

In one swift motion, Wanda surrounded herself in a protective cocoon of energy. Carol shot a photon blast at the glowing mask, and Josephine was sent flying off her feet, crashing into the wall.

The suit momentarily blazed as the surge of energy was too much for it to contain. Josephine began shrieking and Wanda could smell burning hair, smoke rising from the mask. The gloved hands flew up to the mask, the green lights flashing erratically until they switched off completely. She lay on the ground, frantically ripping off what remained of the mask, until a scrap of blackened mesh lay on the ground.

Josephine's hands covered her face, as she cried out in pain from the burn. Before anyone could stop her, Wanda's hand stretched out. A scarlet tendril of energy appeared beside Josephine's now-exposed head.

Her hands fell away from her face. There was a large burn on the left side of her face, from the photon blast, which made Carol wince with guilt. Underneath the burns, she was a woman probably in her late thirties, with unruly black hair pulled back with a band, with a few greys at her roots. What skin hadn't been burnt was pale and sallow, paper thin, straining across her sharp cheekbones.

Josephine stared at Wanda, a horrified look crossing her face. Wanda looked back with an unforgiving stare, but that was before Josephine started screaming. She frantically crawled back on her hands, staring at something nobody could see, all while screaming like a maniac.

Sam grabbed Wanda by the shoulder. "We came to free Vision, not seek revenge!" Wanda barely heard, eyes locked on the terrified woman in her grasp. When she induced these illusions, sometimes she could be in there with them, could see what they were so afraid of.

She saw no other context. She saw blood flying through the air. A horrible, almost familiar screech of an unseen monster, and a man, his screams growing weaker and weaker... that was all Wanda could allow herself to hear before she broke out of the vision, and released her hold over Josephine. The woman collapsed, gasping, as if she had been underwater for an hour.

"Wanda!" Sam shook her again, and she snapped out of it. "We need you to get this collar off him! It's smoking!"

With one last look at Josephine on the ground, Wanda crossed the distance between them. Vision's head hung slightly as if he were in pain, and she lifted his face with gentle fingertips.

"It's okay." Wanda whispered, not sure whether he would understand or not.

She moved her trembling fingers to the wicked device around his throat. Where Bucky had damaged it with his metal arm, it was malfunctioning, sparking and hissing like a serpent. Thin tendrils of smoke were rising rapidly, and the metal was no longer cold, but growing warmer. For the first time, Wanda saw a hint of emotion in his eyes. He was scared.

Trying to forget what she had just witnessed, Wanda began to concentrate, eyes fixed on the parts that connected into Vision's skin, where the metal collar connected. Her magic began moving through it.

A few screws fell to the floor. Wanda winced, watching the prongs embedded into the flesh part of his neck begin to slowly detach, leaving two small holes. She redirected a little energy, and the two holes in his skin slowly knotted back together.

She kept looking up at his eyes. Vision's expression was changing again.

* * *

_"It's working!"_ He heard a voice through the mist.

The block was falling away. A warmth began in his head, spreading through his mind like growing olive branches. Something red, something familiar, was breaking down the walls he was imprisoned in. For the first time since that brief, confusing awakening, he could think. It was like he had been locked in another room and now the door was opening...

The metal around his throat released, but the moment it did, a series of images flashed through his mind.

Blurs of colour. Smudges of a place, a forest. A large creature he couldn't see, behind a familiar figure... and the red light in his head, was now all around him, inside him, burning through every cell in his body... and then, a green light...

The shock collar fell to the floor. The pieces of metal hit the ground moments before Vision did. His knees gave out and he crumpled to the floor in a heap, his hands holding his head, as if he was trying to protect it. He lay curled up on the floor, trembling and gasping for breath as though he couldn't breathe.

Wanda knelt beside him, half hopeful, half terrified. She touched his shoulder. "Vizh? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Vision's head snapped up, his eyes wide, gears in his irises spinning at a frantic speed. His confused gaze flickered erratically from Sam to Bucky to Carol, and then finally to Wanda. When they settled on her at last, his eyes filled with absolute terror.

He crawled away from her, not saying a word, but his eyes saying everything. The spark of her powers had reawakened one of the final moments - one of the most terrible moments. She had showed Vision only one memory. It was the memory of her, destroying him - with no other context.

"What did you do to me?" His voice was barely audible.

"I... I didn't..." Wanda stuttered, in shock. "Vision, I didn't..." She took a step toward him but he staggered to his feet, lurching away from her as though she were something poisonous.

"Who are you? What - what happened?" Vision was as blank of a slate as he was even with the collar. Except this time, he was very much aware, and his emotion was on overdrive. Wanda had never seen him this way - his eyes were wild, and they darted about erratically like a hare trying to escape a fox.

He looked down at the broken collar pieces on the ground, and he lifted a hand to his neck, and then again to his forehead. Then he looked at his hands, eyes widening with fear and confusion. He didn't even recognise himself. He had no idea who he was, or what he was.

The other three stood back, watching this interaction with fear and confusion. Wanda's fingers twitched slightly and glowed faintly. She had no idea what to do. She didn't know what she could possibly say to Vision.

"It's alright, just hang on, we'll get through this together -" Sam too tried to move closer but Vision retreated every step he took. "I'm Sam, this is Wanda, Bucky - is any of this familiar?"

Vision stared at Sam but didn't nod or shake his head. "I don't know you. I don't know any of you." His voice no longer cold and robotic - it was _his_ voice again. The voice of Jarvis, but uneven in pitch and broken as he grew more confused, more afraid.

Echoes of recent months filled Vision's head. He saw people in laboratories and in high security buildings. He heard them screaming in fear and confusion. He saw himself strike them in the head with such force their skulls split. He heard the sickening crack as he twisted their heads until their necks snapped...

His hands pressed to his face, fingers digging into his scalp, as this all came back to him. "No, no, no..."

"Vision, please, we can help you. Just let me explain -" Wanda began, but Vision had turned, and he was running now, toward the wall. He disappeared into it and was gone.

Wanda heard a groan, and she looked at the wall which continued to gush with water. The wall was cracking, forming endless lines like river tributaries on a map, slowly spreading across the entire wall. There was no question about it - they had seconds to get out. The four of them turned and fled the room, racing out into the corridor. There was a tremendous crack, and the monstrous sound of tonnes of water filled the bunker.

As Wanda reached the door of the stairs, she remembered. She whirled round, where Josephine was still slumped at the door of the wall, hands covering her head. This was the last Wanda saw of her before a huge wave of water crashed into the gap between them.

For a moment she stood there in disbelief, before the screaming of the others broke her out of her daze. Wanda ran after them, as they began the terrifying race to get out of the flooding facility.

* * *

In his terrified and frantic rush to escape, he - no, his name, his name was Vision - wasn't it? Vision phased straight through the riverbed.

He was unprepared for the strong current. Vision released a shriek of fear and confusion as the water dragged him downstream. The black water surrounding him, he couldn't see, but he could feel how cold the water was, the sharp scrape of debris and roots snagging at his cape and scratching at his eyes.

Then he saw a black shape in the darkness coming toward him. A tree branch crashed into his forehead, grazing the stone.

The feel of the decaying wood scraping the jewel in his forehead was like an electric shock. An image, a purple haze flooded his mind - the tree branch was changing form, the forks and sticks turning into fingers, the main branch becoming a hand. It reached for his forehead. The underside of a purple arm obstructed most of his sight, but he did see the eyes, a pair of small, soulless eyes.

It was too much for him to process, and mental exhaustion claimed him. Vision fell unconscious as the river carried him toward the sea.


	23. Goodbye, Carol

A week. It had been seven days since Vision had disappeared, with Josephine and the last of Siren seemingly vanquished in a watery, rubble-filled grave. She had been feeling for him all week, spent hours, full nights, searching for him. Her only response was a wall of silence.

Her main worry was that if he didn't know who or what he was, maybe he wouldn't understand the risk of going about in public without his disguise. When she wasn't seeking him out, she was flicking through news channels, worrying that Vision had been seen somewhere. But as the days passed now and there was no mention of him, she had gathered that he at least had enough sense to stay hidden from the public view, or in his human form so he wasn't noticed.

How was she going to go about this, when she did find him? He was now scared of her, believing that she had done something to harm him. She had seen the terror in his eyes, felt his fear, his pain. Josephine's distorted voice taunted her in her mind.

_Harm him? More like blew him up! _

Wanda felt her powers rising and she forced them back down, reminding herself that Josephine was most likely dead. She had seen her be carried away by a wave of water, and after they escaped, the bunker had partially collapsed and flooded entirely. Nobody had emerged from the wreckage, although some footprints in the mud indicated the people in the upper levels had escaped. And Josephine had been on the lowest floor. She had to be dead.

Wanda tried not to think about how Josephine had screamed in terror. It had been on her mind all week, that haunted, almost _familiar_ look in those grey eyes. From what she had seen in her mind, it wasn't hard to figure out that Josephine had lost someone, or at at least witnessed a gruesome and horrible death by a monstrous creature. Wanda had heard the screams of a man, the sound of claws in human flesh growing louder as his cries more feeble. She hadn't seen enough to put together who Josephine lost, by what, and when, but she couldn't help but think she had heard the sound of that creature before.

Wanda shook herself, trying to forget about Josephine, remembering how evil that woman was, how she had caused Vision so much pain, poked around his memory, including more private memories between him and Wanda that no body else should see. Her sympathy was soon forgotten.

Vision had seen that image of her destroying him, but it had no context. He didn't remember the part where _he_ had been the one to make it happen. She had never wanted to kill him. In fact, if he had never said it in the first place, he would only have had to die once. It was _his_ fault...

_Stop it._ Wanda pushed aside that angry part of her._ How was he to know about the time stone? _And how could she be angry at him for something he didn't remember?

"Am I boring you, Maximoff? You seem to be zoning out." The small, unfriendly eyes of Thaddeus Ross glared at her from the column of blue light that was the hologram.

Wanda glowered back. _No, I'm just thinking about how a crazy Hydra scientist resurrected, tortured and used Vision__, as well as how he's now terrified of me because his only memory of me is where I was killing him. So yes, I'm a little distracted. _She didn't respond, meeting his gaze steadily. _I'm not afraid of you anymore._

Ross was another problem that had resurfaced in the last few days. No longer terrifying, as he would have been to her a few years ago - now that she was no longer on the run, he was just irritating, wasting her time with meetings she didn't need to attend, time that she could be using to locate Vision.

Why was he even bothered? Sam and Carol were doing most of the talking, so whether she was zoning out or not was irrelevant. What did he think she was doing? Plotting her evil plans, descending into madness, like the newspapers thought?

He had always been overly suspicious of her, as well as Vision. And after he found out, two of the world's most dangerous people falling in love did not sit comfortably with him. At least the hatred was mutual.

"Are you any closer to finding the assassin?" It wasn't really a question, but a demand.

"Of course we found them. And we are happy to report that they are dead. You're welcome." Carol said, cheerily.

"We found a bunker that belonged to an old Hydra enclave." Sam said, choosing his words carefully. "They blew it up after we left, but while we were in there, we found out who it was. It was just another Winter Soldier. We took care of the problem."

"And? Where's the body?" Ross demanded.

"Since when did you require evidence?"

"Not to mention carrying a dead body on all the way from Hudson Bay to New York is _super_ creepy, especially when we didn't have a jet to fly it back on." Carol held back a smirk. "And this was a week ago, and we didn't exactly have a morgue built into this place. Where would we put it, in the freezer with the ice cream?" Sam had to disguise a snicker as a cough.

"I was merely inquiring." _Lies, _Wanda thought. "We would rather be sure they're dead by seeing the evidence. The bodies of dangerous individuals tend to go missing."

A few wisps of red light formed around Wanda's fingers - she knew exactly what he was referring to. A wave of rage crashed down upon her, and she stood up with such force that a few objects fell off the table. "You know what? I don't need to be present for this. _Du-te dracului." _She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her with her powers.

"What did she just say to me?" Ross asked.

"She said, have a nice day." Bucky lied, knowing full well it was Sokovian for, 'Fuck you.' As much as he wanted to berate Ross for the comment, he didn't want to risk exposing the secret, so he held his tongue. "The body is somewhere underneath all that rubble in a frozen wasteland. The Hydra group wanted to cover their tracks. They were always very thorough in destroying evidence. Believe me."

"This was a week ago, and there have been no assassinations. So unless someone else turns up dead, it's safe to say that the threat is over. We took care of it." Sam studied Ross' expression. His heart sank when he saw that Thaddeus Ross did not look convinced at all. It wasn't a solid cover story - but it was the best they had to protect Vision.

"So this bunker was obliterated, and you don't have the coordinates?"

"The quinjet crashed and the place was blown up. What more do you want?" Carol challenged, keeping her hands under the table so he couldn't see the gold light crackling in her fingers.

Ross continued to look suspiciously at all three of them. "...fine. I'll take your word for it. One final thing, do you know the location of Clint Barton? His passport was used at the JFK airport."

Sam shook his head. "Clint took his family on vacation for a few weeks. To get away for a while, after everything that's happened. So you're tracing passport use now?"

"It's none of your concern. We just want to keep an eye on security threats. Now, I have other matters to attend to." With that, Ross swiftly ended the call.

"Oh, sure." Bucky said, sarcastically. "A man who just took his family to Disneyland is a security threat." All three of them rose, opening the door to see Wanda pacing up and down, hands glowing red.

"I hope he doesn't Google what you just said to him."

"He knows. He fucking knows."

"He couldn't possibly know, and if he did, we would be able to tell -" Sam began, but Wanda snapped.

"Come on, we all thought it was Ava Starr because she could phase! All these deaths look like it could only an achieved by phasing. He wasn't ever happy with Vision's body being buried in Wakanda, even if it was a lie! What if he finds out? He'll have Vision killed! They'll take him apart, like they wanted to do at the beginning! "

"Hey, hey! That's not going to happen. Do you hear me?" Carol held her by the shoulders, stopping her pacing. "It's okay, he has no idea Vision is alive. And besides, they don't have actual proof any of these deaths were anything to do with him!"

Bucky stuck his head back inside the channel room, hearing a noise. "Carol? Someone's calling you." Carol looked to Sam and he nodded, moving forward to comfort Wanda as she went to take the call.

"Like Carol said, there's no evidence. Anyone could have done the same with hacking technology, security bypasses and a blunt object. If they did go after Vision, they would have to get past you first, and even if they did, a few guys with guns won't be able to do anything against either of you. Vision is safe for now."

"For how long?" Wanda replied, before she noticed Bucky, frowning as he listened to the call Carol was answering. "What's wrong?" Sam followed her gaze, and then all three of them began listening.

"...are you positive that's what's happening? Is it really that bad?"

Wanda recognised the voice of the woman who answered. It was Nebula, who she remembered from the battle and Tony's funeral.

"The Kree are rising again with a vengeance, and the Sovereign have created a new weapon. We need your help. We're doing all we can, but it's not enough." Wanda felt stones forming in her heart, knowing exactly what was going on.

"I... " Carol hesitated. "I don't know how long I'll be... but I'm on my way."

Wanda pushed the door open when the call ended. Her friend turned to look at her, a hand buried in her hair, eyes full of indecision and regret. "They need me."

"I understand. You have to go."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." It had only been temporary from the beginning. Wanda hadn't wanted it to be, but she had known from the start that Carol couldn't stay for long. It could only be a flying visit while all was quiet in space, but now that a few months had passed, old tensions were resurfacing, and Carol was needed elsewhere. Wanda blinked rapidly to conceal the tears.

Not long after, they gathered on the lawn in the dark, Carol in her suit and ready to go. "I'll stop off in Lousiana, to say goodbye to Maria and Monica. Then I'll be off."

She knelt down, her face inches from Goose's. "I'm going to miss you. Try not to eat anyone's possessions while I'm gone." Bucky frowned, realising that his radio was missing, and he casted a suspicious look at Goose. Goose released a soft mew, bumping Carol repeatedly with his forehead.

"It's been great having you here, Carol. You've been incredible. God, we're going to miss you." Sam went to shake her hand, but Carol dragged him into a hug instead. She waved her other arm at Bucky and Wanda.

"Come on, you lot. I don't like individual goodbyes. Group hug!" She exclaimed, as Wanda and Bucky joined the embrace. As Sam and Bucky retreated, Carol suddenly took Wanda's hand, speaking in a low voice.

"My channel will be open if you ever need to talk." She looked to the sky, and then back at her. "I don't want to leave you to deal with this on your own. I'll try come back whenever I can. I'm sorry - time really isn't on my side..."

"Time never is." Wanda murmured. "I'll be alright. Thank you, Carol. For everything you've done and said to me over these last months."

Carol went to say something, but then seemingly changed her mind and stepped back, picking up her bag and turning, about to go. Then she stopped, standing very still for a moment, before suddenly whirling round, and running to give Wanda one final hug.

"Promise me something." Carol whispered. "I know what having amnesia is like. Strangers claim to be family, you revisit places people claim you've always known, and it's scary. It takes time. I know you'll find him, I believe in you. We all do. Be patient with him, but promise me you'll look after yourself as well. He may need looking after, but so do you. Good luck, my friend. You've been like a sister to me."

Finally, she blazed into the sky, and disappeared over the horizon.

Sam and Bucky went to Wanda's side. She stood on the lawn, hands in her pockets, gazing at the night sky. Bucky glanced at his watch and saw how late it was, and how pronounced the shadows under his friend's eyes were.

"Wanda, you're exhausted, you're making yourself sick with worry. It's not healthy to stay awake all night, straining your powers trying to find him."

"I'll be fine."

"He's right." Sam said, gently. "You need rest in order to focus. Go to bed. We can talk about plans tomorrow." Wanda went to protest, then she remembered what Carol said. _Look after yourself._ She had spent all week tossing and turning restlessly. She would pace or stay awake and try to feel where Vision was, when she couldn't sleep at all. She was exhausted. And Carol was right - she had to remember herself as well as Vision.

Wanda trudged inside, pausing to look at Carol's now-empty room, before going into her own and shutting the door.

She lay there in her bed, her mind going at a hundred miles an hour, tears pricking at her eyes. Wanda had a good friendship with both Sam and Bucky, but Carol was someone she could really confide in, really talk to. Like Natasha. Like a sister. And now she was gone...

She felt something jump into the foot of her bed. It was Goose, kneading his paws on her quilt. She briefly questioned how he got in, before noticing she hadn't shut her door properly. The ginger flerken looked at her with his big, sorrowful green eyes, mewing like a kitten.

"Are you missing her already?" She patted the pile of pillows on the empty side of her bed. "Scooch in." Goose crawled upwards, curling up in the empty space with a content purr. She stroked his head. "How am I going to do this? What if I never find him? He must be so scared and confused..."

She lay there, before deciding she would try and feel for him one final time for the night. Wanda closed her eyes and reached out, her mind stretching out across the world like an invisible hand.

Where did he go? She didn't know. She had no idea. America was a big place, she would never find him...

Without meaning to, she fell asleep.

* * *

Wanda dreamed of Scotland.

She saw the simple things. She dreamed of cold air and cobblestone pavements. She dreamed of constant rain and church spires. The outline of Edinburgh castle. Huddling together under an umbrella as the heavens opened. Her fingers lacing with his as they walked the streets. Running to embrace Vision the moment he stepped off the train.

It was a good dream, until she began see other moments in time, ones that weren't precious. Moments that had their own pages in her personal book of nightmares, pages she wanted to rip out and cast into the fire, but that wasn't easy when the book of nightmares was written in stone. There was no escape. The pleasant dream began to turn into hell.

An alien woman's face leering in hers, with a glowing spear ready to kill. Vision screaming as a blade came through his chest. Glass flying as they crashed through the roof of the same station Wanda had been walking him to that night. He never lived to miss another train... so why was he here, in Edinburgh, asleep behind a column of stone?

Wanda's eyes flew open as she sat, bolt upright with a gasp.

On the other side of the world, Vision woke with a start on a church roof.

* * *

_**Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. :) **_

_**As the end of this chapter might have hinted, we're off to Edinburgh in the next few chapters. I've been there myself and I love it there, so I'm excited to be taking the story somewhere that's familiar to me while having a throwback to the beginning of Infinity War.**_

_**For those wondering, Carol has gone back to space because we're going to focus more on Wanda and Vision's relationship from here on. Also, **__**the 'Sokovian' Wanda spoke is Romanian, because it's close enough to where Sokovia is located in the MCU. **_

_**PS: I'm aware that Scotland is five hours ahead of New York, but I'm just going to ignore timezones to have whatever time of day setting needed for the story. **_


	24. The closed door

Moments before he had woken, Vision had been immersed in a dark space.

It was like a dark, empty parallel universe. There were no walls, no ceiling. He couldn't see the floor but he was walking on one, cold and smooth like black glass. It was infinite blackness, like the void of space, still and lifeless.

The silence began to lessen as a strange whispering crept into his hearing. He turned, seeing something rather odd. About twenty feet ahead of him, was a door. His brow furrowed at the absurdity, the impossibility of it. This wasn't right. This disobeyed all the laws of physics. Black spaces like this just did not exist in the real world, and random doors didn't just exist within them, jammed into the invisible glass floor like a shovel in the earth.

He began approaching slowly, cautiously, as if he were walking on thin ice. The door scared him, but at the same time, he was drawn to it, unable to stop himself as he drew closer. There were two old fashioned lamps floating either side of it, and it was a door made of polished wood with the number seventeen on it, and a heavy antique handle. He didn't recall ever setting foot in such a building, but he knew it was a hotel room door.

From beneath the door there were three lights seeping out. For the most part, there was a cloud of swirling red energy, with a single beam of yellow moving back and forth like a skylight_._

There were also flecks of green amongst the red and yellow light, swirling backwards and forwards like a malfunctioning clock. Even though he knew what the red light was - her magic, the same flame used against him - the mysterious green frightened him more.

The whispering beginning to grow more audible. His breathing, his synthetic heartbeat, and the murmur of his circuits drowned out as he listened to the sounds. That was his voice. A woman's voice. Other people speaking.

He leaned against the door, trying to hear better. He heard whispered conversations, the sound of rain, explosions, and soft footsteps. The echoes of laughter, crying, and screaming. His red hand twitched forward, reaching slowly for the handle.

_"It's time..."_

_"No. I can't..."_

His fingertips were resting on the cold metal of the brass handle, and he felt it tremble slightly. He turned it a fraction, before there was a thunderous crash and the lamps flickered erratically. Vision snatched his hand back as the door shuddered violently, as if something were bashing against the other side, desperately trying to get out.

He jolted awake, sitting up in a panic, gasping as if he actually needed air. He looked around, feeling the presence of someone, as if someone had been standing above him, even if they are gone now. No. Nobody was here except for a few pigeons, looking at him in curiosity, cooing to each other.

He breathed a sigh, not quite of relief. He peered over the roof edge and across Edinburgh, trying to forget about the mysterious door. He felt a lot safer up here, out of sight, even if he was exposed to the elements. He shivered, drawing his arms and knees closer as a cold wind passed.

When he regained consciousness, he had found himself floating in the middle of the ocean. If he were human he would have surely drowned or frozen to death in the freezing waters, but no, he wasn't human, and he knew that. It had taken him hours to recover from the intense cold that had seeped through his entire body during his unconscious state. He had phased inside a ship cargo hold, and shivered for hours amongst the shipping containers.

Vision had stayed on the ship for a few days as it carried him across the Atlantic. It was a fast moving ship, more advanced than most, so he had gotten to Europe quickly. As he flew into the fog surrounding the ship, something inside him called out, and then an unseen force had pulled him north, made him fly into a country with lots of clouds and mountains. He had flown for almost a day straight until finally, he found the place that was calling him. Edinburgh.

The 'blueprint' was the existing pool of memory, random facts and common knowledge he had regained over the last few days. It told him that he could probably stay on the roof indefinitely if he so wanted to. He was physically incapable of getting sick or freezing to death, he didn't need food or water. He didn't necessarily need sleep either, or not a lot of it, but it was a comfort - a comfort at least when he didn't dream. A few hours rest from his busy, confused mind. A distraction from the voices inside his head going round and round.

The last few months were a haze, a blur of sound and movements. He had forgotten about what happened in the bunker, over the last few months. For now, he had forgotten fleeing in fear, forgotten what he saw in that river. There were random images inside his head to distract him. Voices would call to him and he would hear conversations from faraway, as if he was overhearing them from the other side of a wall.

_"I know you're still in there, Vizh. You know me. You know you do." _

He felt his heart thud a little as he heard her voice, partially from fear, and another emotion he couldn't place. _Wanda_. He had heard someone say it, but something told him that even if he hadn't heard that, he would have still known her name. It was a name he had always known, even before he met her.

Vision lifted his hand to his neck. It felt so strange to be free of the cold metal collar, to no longer hear the icy voice of the scientist inside his head. She - he had heard someone call her Josephine - had been the first face he had seen when he woke up the first time, and immediately, he had been terrified. Her grey eyes were cold and unfeeling, the window to a soul filled with anger, and that was before he was locked inside a dark room and not released until last week.

This stranger, Wanda, had freed him. Her face haunted his mind every moment of when he was awake, and he had heard her voice in every dream. It was a voice he had heard before, with the distinct accent. He struggled to pinpoint where it came from. A random word spontaneously emerged from his memory.

_...Sokovia_. He consulted the blueprint, and it told him that it was a country in Eastern Europe. For a moment, he didn't think it was anywhere special, just a country of origin. Then the stone burned, as if he had been touched by a live wire. In his mind, he saw a tall, menacing metal being. A city, falling from the sky. A young man with silver hair, laying dead and covered with bullet holes...

He kept seeing flashes - but he couldn't tell whether it was real. What if the scientist or Wanda were messing with his brain? Wanda didn't seem to want to hurt him - she had saved him, removing the collar. But if that was true, why had she tried to kill him? Was her intention sinister or not? Was that image of her in a forest real?

The stone continued to burn painfully as he thought about her, forcing that red fire into his head and into every cell in his body. "Stop." He muttered to himself, covering the stone with his hand, and after a few moments, the pain subsided.

Vision looked over the roof edge into the street below. It was late in the evening and a mist was descending over the city. There were still many people walking along and going about their day as it drew to a close. Maybe he could wait until nightfall...

The stone twinged slightly, uncomfortably. No, he couldn't stay up here a moment longer. Walking would take his mind off the confusion. Maybe he would find out why he was drawn to Edinburgh, of all places.

As silent as a ghost, he phased through into the empty church itself, passing a dusty mirror. He passed it and then retreated, turning to look at himself. _You can't walk around looking like this. If anyone sees you... _Vision remembered the icy voice of Josephine. _Human form, _she would say.

He concentrated. He watched as his red skin began to change colour, turning pale, the stone in his head disappearing. Short blonde hair appeared where the metal of his scalp would be. The gears in his eyes disappeared as human eyes emerged, and a black overcoat and trousers replaced his suit.

Vision frowned at his forehead. This form could not hide the lines. In his disguise, the lines resembled a strange birthmark or scar, with greyish skin in place of the fine lines. He went to feel it, but then changed his mind, dropping his hand. Touching it felt wrong. As if it were a healing burn. A hood formed to cover his head, hiding most of the mark.

He tried to open the door, to find it locked, a heavy padlock on the inside. He paused. He could just phase through it, but then, what if someone outside spotted him? Feeling a little bad, Vision took hold of the padlock and crushed it, tossing it to the floor before letting himself out into the street.

Walking through the cold streets, Vision began to wonder whatever had possessed him to come here. He had gone through so much trouble to get here, why? He looked around at the old buildings, the vast puddles in the roads from recent rainfall.

Nobody noticed him, the solemn figure walking in all black. People jostled past, laughing, chatting, some of them pausing to take pictures of the buildings. He passed by a small crowd of people standing in front of a coffee shop called The Elephant House. "This is where she wrote the books!" He overheard one of them exclaim, excitedly.

Vision tried to remember who they were referring to, but he couldn't. This wasn't one of the random facts and some common knowledge like this stored in his memory. But he felt like he should know, as he felt as if he'd walked this street before. Like it had just slipped his mind... He glanced ahead at the hill in the distance. This one he knew. That was Edinburgh Castle, he knew for sure.

He passed a family, and a young boy standing by his mother turned to look at Vision. The child stared at his forehead, having no concept of subtly yet. His mother glanced down at him and then to see what he was looking at, and she pulled the boy by the shoulder. "It's rude to stare, honey." She whispered in a reprimanding tone, but Vision heard.

Suddenly feeling very self conscious, Vision turned his face away. He hurried past, keeping his head down so nobody would see it. It did look rather unusual - like a very strange scar, a ragged circle filled with uneven grey lines. His mind began racing as he thought about it, as he failed to remember what he had seen in the river. Something had caused the lines. The _scars -_

Vision didn't notice the crate in his path until it caught his knee. Both he and the box went flying as he crashed to the floor, face first amongst the oranges he had sent rolling across the ground. He lay there on the cobblestones in shock for a few moments, before a voice with a Scottish accent made him jump.

"Christ! Are you alright?" A greying man with glasses, the stall owner, rushed to help him up.

"S-sorry." He stammered, pulling away from the man as he helped him to his feet. "I was... very distracted."

"Clearly, mate. You walked straight into my box of oranges..." He registered the fruit scattered across the pavement.

"I'm so sorry - let me pick all this up..." Vision began recovering some of the oranges, as the man had already begun to do so.

"Not to worry. No harm done. Nobody eats the skins anyway. You hit the ground hard though, are you sure you're okay? No cuts or scrapes at all?" The man said, eyes scouring Vision for cuts or bruises, and looking surprised when he saw there wasn't even a scratch. His eyes moved to his forehead, and for a moment he looked concerned.

"It's a -" Vision desperately consulted the blueprint for the word he was looking for. "Birthmark."

"Ah, I see. You know they say that a birthmark is a sign of your cause of death in a previous life?"

Vision felt the stone twinge painfully in his head at this sentence, and he tried not to flinch. "That's very interesting. Again, I'm sorry about your oranges.. I really must be more careful... "

"It's okay, my friend. Everyone's a bit scatter brained since the blip. I guess you got blipped too, huh?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"No need to apologise, at least none of them went down the drain." The genuine question flew over the man's head as he rescued another orange from the pavement. He chuckled to himself. "I must say I was like that too, when I came back. One minute my grandson is playing with his Iron Man action figures, then I came back five years later and he's a teenager and Iron Man is dead. I was very confused when I blipped back into existence. Birthdays are going to a nightmare this year."

_Five years? Iron Man?_

Vision had many questions, but he had a feeling that asking the man would make him seem very stupid. The way the man spoke about it, as though it were something he should certainly know. The man paused to look at him, a look of genuine concern on his face.

"Are you sure you're alright, mate? You look... very lost."

"I... I'm not sure. I think I'm looking for someone." Vision said, absent mindedly, handing him the last orange before walking away in a daze, leaving the stall owner looking very confused.


	25. Back to Scotland

Wanda sat on her perch by the glass wall, resting her laptop on a pillow. Goose was chasing a small ball of Wanda's magic as it floated around the room, just like how a normal cat would chase a torch light. Her fingers moved quickly across the key board, her lips moving slightly as she whispered to herself in frustration.

"How hard can it be to find a flight to Edinburgh?"

Very hard, it turned out. It wasn't going to be cheap to get a flight so soon, but she still had a fair amount of money left to her by Tony. Ideally she wanted to leave as soon as possible, but that was going to be difficult.

She didn't have a plan, exactly. Fly to Edinburgh, and... then what? Wander around, keeping an eye out for Vision, in a city of over 500,000 people? It would be like looking for a spoon in the ocean.

Wanda had considered that maybe it was just a dream. She had been dreaming of Scotland afterall, so maybe her imagination had conjured up an image of Vision, with the new lines in his head, asleep on a roof in a city that had an immovable anchor in her memory. But some small part of her _knew_. She could feel him, even a continent away. Her powers must have reached out while she was asleep.

"Morning." She jolted and looked up, seeing Bucky halfway across the kitchen.

"Oh my god. You nearly gave me a heart attack." The Winter Soldier programming was still very much ingrained into Bucky, from the way he moved. Even without meaning to, he moved with the silence of a feline.

"Sorry. Didn't you sense me?" He apologised, opening the fridge and rummaging through it.

"No, I'm a bit... distracted." Bucky closed the door, a carton of milk in hand, a questioning look on his face. "I found Vision. He's in Scotland."

Bucky nearly dropped the milk running to go wake up Sam. Sam quickly jogged into the kitchen, hastily rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"How did you find him?"

"I saw him, in Edinburgh."

_"Edinburgh?" _Sam's eyes widened. "How on earth did he get there?"

"He must have flown all the way, or stowed away on a ship or jet to get across the Atlantic... but it's no coincidence. Something must have drawn him there. Why else would he go there, of all places? It must feel familiar."

"Well, before you go rushing off to Scotland, are you sure? Are you sure it's not something that happened five years ago?"

"I'm positive. I know he's there. Now I just need to find the next plane to Edinburgh."

"Hold on. Are you planning on going on this trip on your own?" Sam asked, in concern. Wanda hesitated, before nodding. He and Bucky began to protest immediately.

"This could be dangerous! There's no way we're letting you go alone."

"Vision isn't dangerous. He won't hurt me." Wanda blinked, and for a fleeting moment behind closed lids, she saw each time Vision had tried to kill her under Josephine's orders. She shuddered, but deep down she knew that things were different now. Vision was afraid and confused, but he wouldn't harm her... she didn't think he would.

"Well - what if someone sees you? They might question why you're there. You're pretty famous in Edinburgh now." Bucky pointed out.

"I'll be careful." Wanda put the laptop aside for a moment. "Look. You guys can't come with me. With Carol gone... you're needed here in case something happens. And who else is going to look after the flerken?" She tilted her head toward Goose, who was still chasing the little orb of her magic. He paused and looked at Sam and Bucky with large, almost accusing eyes, as if he were agreeing with Wanda.

"You don't need to face this on your own. We agreed that." Sam reminded her.

"I know. But for this is something I need to do on myself. I need to know _I_ can do it. Please understand."

Wanda prayed that they would respect her wishes. Both of them looked torn and uncertain, exchanging looks to survey the thoughts of one another. Sam was shaking his head, but Bucky had other thoughts. He hesitated.

"Well... if that's what you want. I guess all three of us might be too much. You don't want to scare or overwhelm him."

"I'm still not comfortable with this." Sam said, before sighing. "But okay. If that's what you think is best. But we'll help you look up flights." He brought out his phone. "Why don't you take the new quinjet? It's fitted with the latest Wakandan technology, thanks to our friend T'Challa. It could get you to Europe in half an hour."

"I don't really trust myself to fly that thing alone. And you two may need it."

"Fair enough... and it is unfair if Sam has to carry me around while you're gone."

"Who said I'd be carrying you? You have legs, you can walk." Sam said, sarcastically. "One way ticket for now? Or do you know how long you'll be?"

"I don't know how long it'll take me to find him, let alone earn his trust. But I freed him from Josephine. He must put two and two together and realize I'm a friend." Even Wanda heard the doubt in her own voice. "I hope so, anyway."

"Alright. But what do you intend to do when or if you find him? What will you say to him?" Bucky asked.

"He needs to remember on his own. I don't want to freak him out, so I won't go rushing in telling him who he is and what happened. I'll just tell him I'm a friend. If he trusts me, I'll bring him home."

"Are you sure the compound is the best place to bring him to?"

"This is the safest place he can be. As long as he isn't seen in his normal form, nobody will ever know."

"And long term?" Sam asked the awkward question.

"I don't know. But if they find out he was alive at the same time of the assassinations... I know exactly what they'll try and do. They'll come for him. Probably for both of us. But I won't let that happen." Her fingers shook as they clicked a flight link, her voice soft. "Not again."

* * *

Wanda lifted her small case from the trunk of Sam's car. "Well... I guess I'm off."

Bucky and Sam had sunglasses and caps on, while Wanda just had dark glasses, brown hair thrown up in a loose bun. People walked past, the more alert ones giving them strange looks. Yes, they all looked suspicious, wearing hats and glasses, in the winter, in the middle of the night. But the fewer people knew she was going to Scotland, the better.

Wanda looked up at the airport, apprehensive. She had been through her fair share of airports over the last few years. Nobody really liked airports, and Wanda was one of those people who absolutely hated them. When she was a fugitive, she was in constant fear of being recognised by other passengers, or by the person who checked her fake passport. Luckily that had never happened - it was amazing what a change of hair colour could do to her appearance.

Even though she was no longer on the run, Wanda still had to hide - she didn't want Ross and his team of merry men to find out that she was flying to Edinburgh. So a pair of dark aviator glasses were firmly on her face. They weren't even hers, but Carol's. She had wanted to take a piece of her friend with her.

She glanced at her fake passport, the same one she had used to get around Europe. She looked miserable in the photo. Her hair had just been dyed the unfamiliar ginger, and she was wearing an oversized turtleneck to hide the bruises and marks left by the shock collar. She looked like a different person, and she briefly worried that whoever checked her passport might question it.

"Are you sure about that? We're legally allowed to use our own passports now. Even I was given one." Bucky said, glancing over her shoulder to look at her fake passport. "You'll be in even more trouble if they realize..."

"We've broken worse laws then fraud." Wanda said, putting the fake document in her pocket. "If I'm questioned, I'm sure I'll be able to work a little magic on the person who checks my passport." She hugged them both goodbye. "Thanks for the ride to the airport. I don't know how long it'll be when I come back. If anyone else asks, tell them I'm on vacation. Tell them I've gone to Fiji or something."

"Of course." Sam nodded. "Don't hesitate to call us. Text us when you land."

"I will. Look after Goose."

"Good luck, Wanda." Sam and Bucky waited until she had gone inside the airport and out of sight, before climbing back into the car. They sat there quietly for a few moments. "We definitely shouldn't have let her go on her own."

"A hundred percent." Bucky agreed. "But we couldn't have changed her mind -"

_"You guys should probably go. Someone just reported a suspicious vehicle with two shady men inside it to security.__"_

Sam shook his head, before finally taking the wheel and pulling out of the parking lot.

* * *

After an eight hour flight, Wanda arrived in Edinburgh for four in the afternoon local time.

She emerged from the international arrivals section and into the waiting area, pulling her case. The person behind the desk hadn't questioned the passport and she had managed to sleep for almost the entire flight - things had gone as smoothly as they could have.

There were a few people waiting outside the arrival doors. A few held hand written cards, as obviously they were there to meet someone. Wanda read a few of them; there was a coach driver waiting for the Glasgow tennis team, and a nervous looking man holding a bouquet in one hand and a sign that said 'Marry Me, Lorraine' in the other.

She paused to look at the waiting area. Vision had flown out to visit her on three separate occasions for the few months she had been in Scotland, each for a few weeks at a time. On most occasions he would fly to the same airport and then catch a train to the city centre, where she would greet him at Waverley station; the very same station where they had crashed through the glass roof.

One time, she had decided to surprise him at the airport. She had decided to have a little fun with it, play a joke on him. She had put on some dark glasses and worn all black, hair covered under a hat. She had stood in the waiting area, holding up a white card where she had written the name he used on his fake documents, 'Victor Shade'.

He had emerged from the international arrivals doors, bag slung over his shoulder, rummaging in his pocket for something. He had glanced up with an otherwise relaxed expression, only to freeze in confusion when he saw the mystery person standing there, holding a card with his alias on it.

Then she had removed her dark glasses and given him a goofy smile. The card and his bag ended up on the floor briefly as he ran to her, sweeping her into his arms to hug her. For a moment she zoned out, staring into space as she was briefly lost in this particular memory.

She shook herself, before hurrying out of the airport, heading to the bus stand to get a ticket into the city. A train would be faster, but Wanda knew the train would stop in Waverley Station... and that idea hurt too much.


	26. A familiar name

Wanda switched on the kettle and looked through the small selection of complimentary tea bags as she waited for the kettle to boil. Deciding that peppermint might calm her nerves, she dropped it into the mug before moving over to the window to open the curtains of the hotel room.

_Where are you?_

A wave of disappointment washed over her as she thought about how little progress she had made. For three days she had been searching, and nothing. She could sense him out there somewhere, but she couldn't get a lock on him amongst the thousands of other busy minds.

_What did you expect? To run into him in front of_ _Starbucks_? Maybe she should have thought this through more before dropping everything and flying halfway across the world...

"I'm sure he's fine." She murmured, trying to ease her heartbeat. Ever since she had stepped off the bus on Prince's Street, there had been a put in her stomach, and her heart had been beating a little faster than normal, constantly. It felt as though a panicked bird was trapped inside her ribcage. She was worried about Vision, yes, but that wasn't all.

She used to love Edinburgh. She loved the cobblestone streets and the rain, the history and beautiful buildings. Some of her most treasured memories with Vision had happened here. Now though, all Wanda could think about was the attack. She raised her hand to trace the faint scar above her eyebrow. She was still unsure whether it was from being thrown through the window, or whether the alien woman had caught her with her spear...

She was so distracted trying to remember this little detail, so when her phone began to ring, she nearly jumped a foot.

"Hey, Sam -" she frowned. "Isn't it five am in America right now?"

There was a tired chuckle on the other end of the phone. "We got called out at two in the morning, just got back. Don't worry - we just foiled a robbery from the biggest bank in New York."

"Robbers? What a boring mission. How was it? You're both okay?"

"We're good. No cuts or scrapes with this one. I thought I might as well check in with you before I go back to bed, seeing as it's morning in Scotland. Bucky would say hi, but you know what old men are like - he's out like a light."

"Tell him I said hi when he wakes up. How is Goose?"

"Crookshanks is fine. He's glaring at me right now." There was a pause as Sam's tone grew serious. "So how's it going? By the sound of you, you haven't found Vision yet."

"Well..." So far, Wanda had been to the castle, the train station, and she had walked dozens of streets. "I've been to places we went to, places that should hold some significance to him."

"And?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." She covered her forehead with a hand. "I'm an idiot, aren't I? I should have made a plan of some kind... "

"No, you're not. Anyone in your shoes would do exactly what you're doing now."

"I'm an idiot for not thinking this through. I'm on a wild goose chase, and I didn't think it would bother me being back here, but it does..."

"Hey, it's only been three days - it was never going to be an easy task. Try not to think about what happened, and I know, that's easier said than done. But I'm sure he's alright, and that's the most important thing. I'm sure you'll find him soon."

"I hope so." She cradled her tea in her hands, looking into the streets. The day outside was grey and icy, puddles frozen over from the frosty night before. _Where has he been sleeping? Is he still sleeping on roofs? _Had he been sleeping rough in the freezing nights? Vision couldn't be physically harmed by cold temperatures like a normal person, but he would certainly feel it.

Wanda knew how it felt to sleep rough. She and Pietro had been homeless for most of their teenage years and adulthood. Winters in Sokovia were dangerously cold, and they would huddle together under discarded blankets, trying to stay warm. She had been lucky - at least she had Pietro. Vision had nobody...

"Wanda? Still there?"

"Yes, sorry... what did you say?"

"I'll let you get on with your search, because my battery's dying. And also, a heads up. We had a call from Ross. He was wondering why you weren't with us for the robbery, so like you said, I told him you're on vacation. He's not happy, so I'd expect a hologram call from him when you come back." Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Is he _ever_ happy?"

"It's because he's scared of you."

"Good." Wanda said, before a thought came to her. "Sam, before you go, have you heard anything from Josephine?"

"No, not at all, nothing from Siren. Why?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling..."

* * *

Vision stood in an exhibit, hands in his pockets, looking at a rather frightening wax figure of a Scottish soldier in battle with a Roman invader. People took pictures and stopped to look at it around him, oblivious and not taking much notice of him.

Getting into the museum was easy. He found that if he decreased his density enough, he was barely visible as he phased through walls and past security. Being careful not to phase directly into the line of sight of cameras or people, he had spent the last few days wandering through Edinburgh - growing more and more frustrated.

Wandering aimlessly through a city, alone, could actually be rather boring when he wasn't remembering anything. No matter how many streets he walked or tourist attractions he snuck into, no more actual memories were coming to him. Occasionally he would hear a single question or fragment of a conversation whisper to him, but he didn't see any images to go with them. It was like he could _hear_ the memories, but not see them.

_Think. _He pushed his mind, desperately searching for something, anything. Today he wasn't concerned by actually trying to remember things - he wanted to know what had caused the lines in his head. He had developed an obsession with the mark, and namely, how he came to be this way - how he had lost his memory.

Vision may have had a supercomputer brain, but it didn't take a genius to figure out a morbid possibility. This possibility, being that he had died and come back to life somehow. It was a horrifying idea, and he didn't want to believe it. But it explained his apparent amnesia, how everything before he woke up surrounded by scientists was black...

The fruit stall owner had said two things that were troubling him. One, the casual comment about a birthmark being the cause of death in a previous life. It wasn't a birthmark, more of a scar, but what if it was true?

He didn't believe in superstition, his mind was one of logic, but there was no other explanation for his memory loss. His first thought was that Wanda had been the one to end his life. The image of her doing just that was enough proof...

"Excuse me sir, are you alright? You've been standing there an awfully long time."

"I'm fine, thank you." Vision replied, and the staff member hesitated before turning and walking away. Realizing how long he had been lost in thought for, he quickly headed in the opposite direction. He ducked behind a cabinet, glanced about for any cameras, before phasing through the wall.

Vision cautiously stuck his head outside, glancing up and down. Once he was happy he was alone, he stepped out into the alley way.

He trudged down the thin alley, arms folded to try and maintain some warmth. He looked about his surroundings - at the end of the alley people hurried past, ignoring the insignificant side street full of bins and trash. He stepped over a broken bottle, only to gasp in surprise when a fox dived out from under a bin, a few feet in front of him.

The fox leapt onto a trash container, before frantically jumping onto the wall and disappearing from view. Vision shook his head, hand on his chest, absent mindedly looking at the container the fox had jumped onto. He came to a stop, a piece of glass crunching under his shoe. He tilted his head to see it better.

There was a sentence written in bold. One word was, 'Decimation'.

He kept hearing that word in conversation as he passed people. It was a headline on a newspaper sticking out from underneath the bins, sodden and grey from rainwater. Looking around first, Vision went over to the container and pulled out the newspaper. It had struggled to survive the elements, but he could still read it.

The faded letters were hard to read, blurred by rainwater and running ink. Vision narrowed his eyes, managing to make out a single word. The word was, 'Thanos'.

Vision dropped the newspaper as the stone blazed sharply.

As Vision remembered that name, Wanda found herself standing in front of a jewellery shop. She stared at it in confusion, before putting two and two together. The kebab shop was now a jeweller's; like so many other shops, it had probably been shut down and boarded up for five years.

They had stood here. The television screen was gone. There were now shelves draped with blue velvet, silver and gold jewerelly on display with small white cards showing the prices. This was where their hidden, comfortable life had come to a brutal end. Where the both of them had been dragged into the fiery flames of hell by a blade forged in outer space.

Suddenly Wanda was consumed by a desperation. In that moment all she wanted was to speak to Vision, to at least hear his voice. She closed her eyes tightly, casting out her mind yet again, calling out to him. _Please. Answer me._

_"Vision?" _There it was, her voice. Vision looked around like a lost child, wincing through the pain of the stone. He kept hearing her voice, but it was louder this time. As if she were closer. He wondered what would happen if he answered. Probably nothing.

"Wanda?"

Wanda had already began walking away from the street, thinking her attempt was in vain. She stopped abruptly, hearing Vision's voice. Was that her imagination, or was he responding to her?_ "Can you hear me?"_

Vision froze. That wasn't another memory. That was her voice, right now, inside his head. "You're - you're speaking to me? How did you find me?" A mixture of fear and confusion washed over him. What was she doing here?

_"Look. I know this must be confusing, but - hear me out. I know what you remember might say otherwise, but I don't want to hurt you."_

"Who are you? What do you want?"

_"I was your friend, before those scientists... I just need to know you're alright. I can help you. Where are you?" _Vision paused. His mind screamed no, that she was dangerous - he saw her in his mind again, forcing her powers into his head until he cracked. But something inside him wanted to see her. She could give him answers...

"How do I know this isn't a trap?"

_"It's not a trap, I promise. It's just me, nobody else."_

It could be a lie. He remembered when she released him from the collar. Even with feet of space between them he could sense her power, knew she didn't need anyone else to trap or kill him. She could do it single handedly. But she sounded so... scared. Pleading, almost.

_"If you come to me, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Please, Vizh. Give me a chance to explain."_

_Vizh. _Vision felt something within him stir, like a lightbulb being switched on. He hesitated, before he responded.

"Where will you be?"


	27. The meeting

_**Again, I'm sorry for the delay - this was a tough one. **_

* * *

Everyone had that negative, cynical voice inside their head. Having been a pessimist for the majority of her life until the last few years - she credited the team for changing that - Wanda was used to hearing it. She could almost feel that tiny demon on her shoulder, filling her mind with fears and assumptions that the meeting would be a disaster, if it happened at all. Where was the angel? Stuck in traffic?

_He's late,_ sneered the demon. _He's changed his mind._

_It's only ten minutes.__ He's probably lost._

_He's not to going to show. Why would he? _

_Shut up._

_He thinks you're a killer. In his mind this is suicide..._

_Oh, for the love of god, shut up. _

Wanda tried to block it out, as she continued to pace up and down by the park bench, eyes flickering about, trying to spot him. People were giving her odd looks as they passed - she probably looked like she was waiting for a drug dealer. She sank onto the bench to try and calm herself.

She gazed across the gardens, watching the tourists gathered around the monument for the formerly vanished. Edinburgh had opted for glass-like transparent shards, with black engravings for the names of the formerly vanished. It was probably one of the prettiest memorials Wanda had seen.

She shook her head slightly when she saw one tourist trying to pose with the shards in the same way people posed at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Apparently some people found being erased from existence less traumatizing and more hilarious...

Wanda was so absorbed in the memorial, that she didn't notice the tall, familiar man with blonde hair slowly approaching her.

Vision studied her from a distance. Wanda didn't look like much of a threat now, with her magic hidden away. She was shivering on the icy bench in a pair of jeans and a grey coat, brown hair pulled over one shoulder in a braid. Without warning, her head snapped in his direction, for she had sensed him. She stood quickly, looking both surprised and relieved to see him.

"Hi."

"...h-hello." Vision stuttered. He looked so much like a startled deer, it was almost comical, but the expression only made the pit in Wanda's stomach feel bigger.

Wanda gestured for him to sit down, and he did, sliding as far away across the bench as possible. They sat there awkwardly. Several times one of them would open their mouths to say something, before looking away.

"Sorry I'm late." Vision still had that urge to be polite ingrained into him.

"It's okay."

In the daylight, and much closer, she got a proper look at the strange, scar-like mark on his forehead. What had Josephine used to replace the lost tissue? She had probably stolen some vibranium when she was in Wakanda, so it would be compatible with Vision's body. Whatever tissue she had used to fill in the gaps, it clearly wasn't the same as the one created by Helen Cho.

"I..." Wanda trailed off, before starting again. "Do you know me?"

"I don't know."

"I don't want to hurt you. I just want to know you're okay."

"I'm managing." Vision said, evasively. He avoided her eyes, his arms pulled close, hands repeatedly tugging at the synthetic sleeves of his black coat.

"What have you been doing for the past week? Where have you been sleeping?"

"On roofs." Wanda's heart sank another inch. "Wherever nobody will walk in on me..."

"You must have been freezing."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because you were my friend."

Vision finally forced himself to look at Wanda. Her eyebrows were creased with worry, grey pools forming under her eyes. Her face was flushed from the cold, her lower lip swollen from nervous biting.

Despite the tension hanging in the air, he could see she was relieved to see him. He couldn't describe the look in her eyes - there was a little more light in them compared to their last encounter, along with another emotion she kept guarded and hidden. His enemy wouldn't look at him like that; this was no trap.

"Friend?"

"Yes. For a long time."

Curiosity began to overcome his fear. For her to go through all this effort to find him, he must have meant a lot to her... "How did you find me?"

"I had a hunch you might be here." Telling him she saw him in a dream might be a bit weird. "Why did you come here?"

" I don't know. I just needed to be here. It's feels -"

"Familiar?" Wanda asked, hopefully. He frowned before nodding. "We stayed here for a few months. I lived here, and you would come to visit me." Vision looked around the gardens, at the outline of the castle through the branches of the trees, as if trying to stir his memory.

"Strange..." Vision murmured, before his brow furrowed. "What happened to me?"

Wanda knew she should have expected this question sooner rather than later, but it still threw her. "It's complicated."

_"This."_ Vision said, lifting a hand to his forehead. "If we were friends... why did you do this?"

She felt her powers flare with her emotions, as she tried to block out what happened in Wakanda. "That wasn't me."

"Then what did I see in that bunker?" He waited for an answer, human blue eyes suddenly cold and untrusting, his state of mind as fragile and versatile as a human's.

Wanda twisted her rings around her fingers, trying to hide how much her hands were shaking. She could tell him the truth. She _should_ tell him the truth, he deserved to know. Infinity stones, a sacrifice neither of them had wanted to make, an alien warlord. As if he didn't have enough to deal with...

The demon made it's reappearance. _Lie, _it whispered.

Vision's stare grew more intense as he grew suspicious of the long pause. Wanda made a decision that she instantly knew she would regret later. But if it would make him trust her a little more...

"That image wasn't real. I'm not in complete control of my powers. I accidentally showed you one of my worst fears - I was always afraid of hurting you."

It wasn't completely a lie - Wanda had spent a long time being afraid of her powers. She used to be terrified that one day her magic would become too much and hurt those around her. And using her powers against Vision was indeed her worst fear now.

Vision blinked in confusion, and his gaze retreated inwards, as if he were recalling that image, trying to tell whether it was real. It wasn't a memory. It was her fears? It didn't make sense, but - he had seen two deaths. Only one could be true, couldn't it?

"It seemed... real."

Wanda dug herself into an even deeper hole. "My magic does that. I used to have this power, well, I still have it, I just don't use it as much. I can create illusions... show people the things they fear the most. Sometimes my own fears will come through. I'm sorry."

The silence stretched out, but it wasn't so unbearable now. Vision sank against the bench, and he no longer flinched when Wanda moved. "It's - alright." The barrier of coldness between them faded, but that was only the ice melting off an otherwise stone wall.

"What do you remember?"

Vision looked into the distance. "I see blurry pictures. I hear voices... and I keep having these horrible dreams... " He was having recurring dreams of that dark universe with the hotel room door, but there was also something else, too...

"What dreams?" Wanda asked, gently.

"I keep dreaming that I'm being chased." Wanda looked away quickly, but not quick enough - Vision saw the haunted look enter her eyes. "Wanda..." It was the first time he had called her by name. "Who did this to me?"

"Vision, I don't think..." Wanda trailed off. "Look. What happened to you - it wasn't nice. There are some things that you may be better off not knowing. Things you should remember in your own time -"

_"Please." _Vision pleaded. "If you sincerely were my friend, tell me the truth."

Her eyes glazed with pain, as she began to cast her mind back to the final seconds. She slowly shook her head, silently begging him. His hand found it's way into the bench, next to her's. He didn't hold her hand, but the hems of their sleeves and the edges of their fingers touched.

_He deserves to know._

"Okay. I will." Wanda was finding it hard to breathe. "The stone you have in your head now, I'm not sure what it is. There was another before, it was called the mind stone. It gave you life, and it gave me my powers."

"This being from another world came to earth. He was called Thanos. He wanted your stone, and there was no stopping him. We tried to protect you, and you tried to keep the stone from him, but it wasn't enough. He got to you, and then he... he..."

"He took it. Killing you."

A great empty feeling descended over Vision. If he had the capability, he probably would have been sick there and then. Suddenly he felt like he couldn't breathe, as if he actually needed the air. He heard Wanda speaking, but it was as though he were underwater - her voice was muffled and inaudible. His circuits began racing and his synthetic heart was beating madly, dangerously.

He was consumed by terror. He felt himself being lifted off the ground, and he heard Wanda scream...

Vision almost fell off the bench trying to stand. "I... I have to go."

Wanda caught his sleeve before he could rise. "I tried to stop him. I'm so sorry -"

"Just - stay away from me!"

"Vision, please, don't -" Wanda protested, but he was already gone. "-don't leave me." She whispered to empty air.


	28. Eyes in the dark

_**The next few chapters are going to be rather fast paced as I really want to get the Edinburgh segment over and really sink into the real story back in New York - for perspective, the two of them will be out of Scotland within two or three chapters, as Wanda is going to bring Vision back to the compound as the story continues. Two or so chapters might seem a bit rushed for him to agree to go with her and **__**I would like to dedicate more time to developing Vision's trust of Wanda, but this story is progressing a little too slowly for my liking, and we can do that back in America as well. Thank you so much, and stay safe out there. **_

Someone was watching the lone, seemingly normal looking man walking into a dark street.

Vision couldn't walk anymore. He had to stop and think for a moment. He leaned against a wall covered in graffiti, covering his face with his hands. He could feel a heavy, wet feeling in his eyes, as if they were filling with water. It wasn't the first time - whenever he lay on a roof at night or inside an abandoned building, feeling so alone, afraid, of both his past and his future. They would fill and fill, the pressure growing, but if he closed his eyes tight enough, the feeling would subside. He scrunched them closed for a minute, and eventually it went away.

His hands moved from his face to cling to the sides of his head, as he tried to block out the now-crystal clear image of what he now knew to be his death. He didn't just hear the memory now, he experienced it, saw it in full colour - no. He _remembered_ it.

It began with a flash of that strange green light, stirring him from darkness. The green light to fade, he had briefly felt as if he had just woken from sleep, along with the dull feeling of pain all over his body. Then he had felt a strange sense of shock and confusion, although he didn't know where that part came from - he had gotten a brief look at the forest, and then he couldn't breathe as he was lifted off the ground.

He heard Wanda's piercing shriek and then a sickening _whack _as she was struck. Vision had stared in terror at the cold face of Thanos. He saw every line and scar on his alien face, the lack of remorse in his eyes, as the enormous people hand reached for the prize in his forehead. He remembered prying uselessly at the iron grasp around his throat, kicking feebly in a desperate attempt to escape - and then a brief flash of agony. And finally, darkness again, like the nightmare was over, and he had gone back to sleep.

There was so much he didn't understand, didn't remember. There were so many questions. How long had it been since his death? Why did Thanos want the stone? What kind of life had Vision had before he lost it? _What a cruel way to die._ Just imagining someone forcibly tearing the stone - mind stone, whatever it was - out of his flesh with their bare hands...

The sight was horrifying. But the _sound -_ that was something else.

_"No!" _

Wanda's scream... nobody should ever scream like that. He had briefly glimpsed her, how different she looked. Her hair was ginger instead of brown, her face twisted and contorted with fear, the realisation that he was about to die and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She had looked so afraid... it made sense now. She was there. The forest was the same one surrounding them in the illusion she had accidentally showed him. Of course she must have been terrified of that forest. It made sense for it to be the background of her worst fears and nightmares.

So now that he knew her killing him instead was an illusion - why did he run from her? Looking back he was unsure why. When he sat on that bench with her, after she told him the truth, he had felt safe. Truly safe, for the first time. When the edges of their hands touched - when he felt the warm of her skin, contrasting with the cold silver ring on her little finger - something inside him had awoken. That part of him that was missing seemed smaller. That feeling that he was lost was less crippling...

He frowned, dropping his hands from his face. Vision still felt lost. But... not alone. Why did he have this creeping feeling, this suspicion that - someone were watching him?

* * *

_Meanwhile_

"I met Vision today. He made me tell him how he died, but I only told him about Thanos. I pretended that my part in it never happened, and he seems to believe it... You guys can't tell him anything. He'll never... no, no, that's terrible..."

Wanda shook her head and erased the message she had planned to send to the compound group chat, before tossing her phone onto the bed in frustration. She dug her fingers into her scalp, hair snagging on her rings.

"What did you do?" She said to herself. Why did she lie?

_It's not all bad, _said the reassuring voice inside her head, that remarkably sounded like Carol. _You made real progress with the meeting. He's not as afraid of you now, he trusts you a little more, and at least he remembers something..._

_But that 'something' is the most terrifying thing of his life. _She never should have told him about Thanos. If all things to tell him about his old life, she had told him that? And she especially shouldn't have have lied about the other thing. His first death. The coup-de-grace, the thing that had driven Wanda to a dark place for so long. How the hell was she going to do this? How could she move forward, help Vision, all the while pretending that something so huge, so life altering, never happened?

Now she had more problems. What would Sam and Bucky think? Would they agree with her decision to pretend that it never happened? Probably not. She would no doubt have to tell Bruce, Rhodey, and Carol too, to guard the secret - probably everyone else alive who knew what happened in Wakanda, when the time came to reveal that Vision was alive. They couldn't hide him from the world forever. And for long was this going to be a secret? How long would it be until someone slipped up, how long until Vision, who had a supercomputer for a brain, realized that the 'fear' seemed too real to be an illusion? Then, in his fragile state of mind, he might believe anything...

_That's called manipulation. __He'll certainly see it that way when he finds out! When, if? _Vision's memories of what happened in Wakanda were now a ticking time bomb. If he discovered the truth, who knew how he would react. They had never lied to each other; at the beginning of their relationship, they had promised never to lie to one another, never to keep secrets or feelings hidden. That promise was about to be broken several times over.

Wanda closed her eyes, pressing her clenched fist to her lips. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep back her tears. That promise was no longer valid if the relationship no longer existed. It would probably never be what it once was. But friendship? That was something they could reach, just not quite hold yet. He was alive, and right now, his wellbeing, how comfortable and safe he was, was all that mattered. That was the most important thing to her...

_Then why did you let him go? Why did you leave him alone?_

That bad feeling was back. She had felt it before the quinjet crashed, before Josephine had ambushed them and nearly made Vision kill Sam, Bucky and Carol. She had felt this way all evening - she could sense that someone was in danger. _Vision_ was in danger...

A frown shadowed her face, as Wanda's skin began to crawl once more. Something felt wrong. It wasn't the lie that was making her uneasy...

* * *

Vision scanned his surroundings. Where even was he? Most streets at least felt familiar, but this - not at all. This was a dark, run down street that hadn't quite recovered from the effects of the decimation yet, which he was yet to learn about. The buildings were mostly boarded up and the walls were scrawled with graffiti. There was a single lamp post, the lantern glass shattered, offering only a flickering, dim bulb that barely lit up the ground below it. In his dazed state, he hadn't noticed where he was going.

It dawned upon Vision that this was a dangerous place to be. He wasn't in any real danger, he couldn't be physically harmed as far as he knew - but still, only an idiot would have walked down here, alone at night...

_Splash._ The sound of a boot in a puddle. He was about to have bigger problems than a fickle memory.

Vision immediately tensed as he finally noticed him. Somehow he hadn't seen a man standing to the side of the dark street, smoking; watching him. He couldn't phase into a wall now - the deep rooted fear of being discovered was more ingrained into him then the vibranium panels in his flesh.

Vision's first reaction to most things was natural curiosity. His initial thought:_ why would someone intentionally cause such damage to their lungs?_ Then he began to think into it more, as he felt the man's eyes burning into him, saw them glistening faintly with the dim glow of the cigarette lighting up his face. How long had the smoking man been standing there? How long had he been watching him? The man was large, heavy set and dressed in dark clothing, a hoodie and denim jeans. Vision's circuits were firing more quickly then usual, he could feel them, alongside the beat of his synthetic heart which was getting faster.

The lit cigarette resembled a tiny, glowing amber eye in the dark. The acrid smoke was mixing with the clouds of the smoker's breath in the freezing air, the burning smell flooding Vision's nose and mouth. The smoker was giving him the most intense stare, as if challenging him to make eye contact. Maybe he should just turn around and walk back the way he came...

_Don't worry. Just keep walking. Act normal and try not to draw attention to yourself... _As casually as he could, Vision turned and walked away, not too fast, but still fairly brisk.

The man was staring still; maybe he was misreading his stare. Maybe it wasn't sinister. Had his human form slipped somehow? A glance at himself and a quick sweep of his hand over his projected hair confirmed it was in place. There was no reason the stranger should be staring at him so intently. The man threw his cigarette into a puddle, and began walking towards him, hands in his pockets.

Vision picked up the pace, glancing over his shoulder. The man did too. Not a casual walk either - he walked briskly, with purpose. This wasn't a misunderstanding now. This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all.

Two more dark figures rounded the corner of the end of the street, stopping directly in Vision's path. The stone burned in his forehead, warning him too late that he had walked into a trap.


	29. The scars

Wanda felt Vision's fear, and she knew. Within moments, she threw open her hotel door and bolted down the corridor, about to go flying down the stairs. She skidded to a halt; if she flew to him from the street, she would be seen for sure. _The roof! _Up and up she climbed, occasionally leaping up whole flights at a time with her powers, until she reached the top and spotted a tiny flight of stairs leading up to a white door. Wanda channelled her magic through the lock, and a gust of wind nearly tore the roof door off it's hinge as it opened. She didn't hesitate as she took flight.

In the dark street, Vision found himself surrounded. A few years ago he would have done something rational, stayed calm and collected, found the quickest escape. But now, with his mind held together by threads, he had a mental block in his mind. His limbs were frozen, despite his brain screaming at him to run or disappear into a wall.

Finally, after a tense silence, one of them raised something sharp and silver, glinting even in the dark, lightless street. It was a knife.

"Your wallet." Hissed the smoker, in a gravelly voice.

_W__allet? _Vision knew what that was. He remembered now - most people had wallets to carry cards, money, keys, other important things that were seen as valuable... things he didn't possess. He had nothing of value on him at all.

"I don't have one."

The older one of the two who had emerged from the corner scoffed in disbelief. "Just empty your pockets. And we'll leave your teeth intact."

"I'm being honest. It's the truth." Vision said, slowly, taking a step backwards. "Let me go on my way. You really don't want to..." His eyes instinctively moved toward a nearby wall, but the men moved closer, blocking his way. Anger and impatience grew in the eyes of all three.

_You can't phase into a wall in front of them._

_Why not?_

_You'll be discovered._

_You don't look like yourself! How will they know it's you?_

One of them narrowed their eyes, beginning to detect that Vision was telling the truth - but this only frustrated him. "What kind of idiot goes outside without any keys or money?" He snarled.

Vision wasn't listening. He could see the end of the street. If he could just run to the end, get out of sight for a moment, he could disappear into a wall...

He bolted forwards, but he wasn't quick enough. One seized his arm, and shoved him with all his might. Vision fell to the floor as one of them began kicking him in frustration. He covered his head with his hands as another foot joined in with the kicking.

Vision didn't mean to think about how he had been torn apart and put back together. He didn't mean to think about the unanswered questions, the unfairness of it all, the scientist, Josephine. He didn't mean to think about Thanos... Then, in a hot flash, he was angry. All irrational thoughts disappeared in an instant as he increased his density.

_Crack. _

The man who was kicking him howled in pain and dropped immediately to the ground, ankle looking twisted and wrong.

"What the fuck -" the others exclaimed, a mixture of confused and angry. The young one darted forward as Vision stood up, driving forward the knife. The blade broke clean off the handle, clattering to the floor. Genuine terror flooded the eyes of the young one as he dropped the broken knife in shock, backing away.

Vision whirled to look at them. His disguise was still in place, but the yellow stone had breached the surface. Their eyes widened as they spotted the glowing light on his forehead. "What the hell _are_ you?"

Without warning, the smoker released a yell. Blinded by rage, he leapt forward - and Vision panicked.

The smoker hit the ground like a stone. Vision backed into the wall in horror, realizing that his density was still increased when he hit him in the head.

The younger one did not move for a moment. He looked up at Vision and then at his two companions who lay on the ground. He stumbled backwards, before turning and sprinting down the road. He didn't make it very far before he came to a screeching halt, staring upwards.

At first, Vision thought he was seeing a red shooting star. But no - it was Wanda.

Wanda landed ungracefully, hitting the cobblestones with a stagger. Tendrils of red light filled the air and snared the young man before he could scream, and then he was motionless, eyes and face neutral and blank. Wanda's eyes initially burned with anger, ready for a fight as she turned to see who else had attacked Vision - only for her fury to fade as her eyes fell upon the scene. The other two attackers were on the ground, one with a twisted looking leg, whimpering like an injured dog, and the other, motionless on the ground with a large, black bruise rapidly forming on his bald head. And there was Vision, trembling, the yellow stone exposed in his head - eyes full of fear and guilt.

"I didn't mean to... I didn't mean -" Was all Vision could say, his voice high with distress. Wanda carefully stepped around the two on the floor, until she was at Vision's side.

"It's alright, Vision." She whispered. "I'm going to check if he's okay." She crouched beside the unconscious one, praying that he was merely knocked out. He was breathing, and then to confirm, he began groaning in pain, beginning to move his limbs.

Wanda looked up at the third one who was still standing there blankly, and then at the one with the broken ankle, who by now had obviously recognised her. She stood, gently pulling Vision back, one glowing hand raised toward the three thugs. "Please don't -" The one with the broken ankle pleaded, fearfully. "We're sorry - it was Ben's idea - we won't tell anyone -"

Wanda ignored him as she turned to Vision, telling him in a low voice: "They won't remember this." Red light surrounded the heads of all three. The fear and confusion faded, their eyes turning blank, as she erased the last few minutes from their minds.

* * *

If Wanda had it her way, she would have happily left those low-lifes in the street. But Vision was in a state when she began walking him away from the scene, so she had decided to call for help to ease his mind. Making sure to mask her accent, she had called a ambulance from a payphone, inventing a story to the operator. The story being, she had stumbled across three delirious men on her way home, that they seemed to have been fighting, as well as under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

All three would be fine, their injuries being easily dealt with. They had been questioned as they were placed into the ambulance, but all seemed to be genuinely confused as to how they ended up with such injuries. Wanda had to hope that her magic was strong enough to block the incident from their minds permanently, and that her story would help the case be dismissed as a night out gone wrong that wasn't worth investigating any further.

Vision hadn't resisted - nor said a word - as she took him back to her hotel, and booked him into a room in the same corridor as her own. The only words they had exchanged the whole time was a brief argument about her paying for his room.

"You don't need to waste your money on me -"

"No way in hell are you spending one more night on a freezing roof."

Both of them were now sitting in armchairs, eerily quiet. The only sound was the patter of rain on the window, and the slow tick of a clock on a dresser.

"Are you hurt?"

"No." Vision lied, not wanting to worry her. The men had gotten a few good kicks in before he had got the chance to alter his density; he was probably going to be bruised for a while, if that were possible. He wasn't sure at this point what his body was capable of doing. "Will he be alright?"

"The paramedics said he had a concussion." Wanda was relieved that was all - the man must have been very lucky, or had a skull made of stone. There was a pause as Vision tried to remember what a concussion was.

"Is that bad?"

"It's not a big deal. He'll be fine. I've had a concussion a few times... " He looked up at her in alarm. "My powers were new, accidents happen." Vision suddenly looked as though he were concentrating very hard, as if he was trying to remember something. Wanda gave him a few moments - he had been present for one such concussion... maybe he was...

"Did you once -" He began, before the look of concentration faded. He shook his head, and Wanda felt a wave of disappointment. "I could have killed him."

"But you didn't."

"It doesn't matter. I still hurt them."

"Vision, they were thugs. _They_ attacked _you._ They probably do that sort of thing all the time, robbing people at night and beating the hell out of them when they don't have money on them. All you did was defend yourself, and that's not a crime. You did nothing wrong. And after this, they might not try anything like it again -"

"How can you tell me I did nothing wrong, after everything I've done over these last few months?" Even in his natural form, the colour seemed to have drained a little from his face.

"That wasn't you. That was all her."

He lifted a hand to his head, pressing his fingertips to his temple. "Don't pretend, Wanda. Don't pretend that Josephine _didn't_ almost make me kill you." There was a silence, and Wanda looked at the carpet, reminded of the near-misses - Carol being knocked out, the quinjet and Hudson Bay, Clint in the woods, the flooding bunker... she had been trying not to think about those. "I see their faces. The last few months are mostly dark, but I can still see every face she made me kill. There were eleven."

To Wanda, eleven was nothing. She tried not to think about her total body count, whether it be accidental or intentional. But Vision? To her knowledge, he hadn't killed anyone, at least no human being, before he died. And with or without memory, his value for life was still very much intact, so she understood why eleven was horrifying to him.

"You can't blame yourself. Josephine controlled your every move, and when you hesitated, she tortured you." Vision lifted a hand to his neck, remembering the feeling of cold metal and the burn of electricity. "It wasn't your fault, you had no say in what you were doing. Siren killed those people."

"I wish I could believe you." Vision went to the window, cape flowing out behind him as he peered through the closed curtains of the hotel window. It was beginning to rain, drops of water trickling down the glass. Wanda had to look away - this image was too familiar for her.

"What's your plan, Vision?"

"My plan?"

"We both know you can't stay in Scotland forever."

Vision quickly shut the curtain again, trying not to think about his future. His gaze moving to his hand as it curled round the heavy fabric. He had spent so much time in his human form, his true form felt strangely unfamiliar. "I know you mean well. And I'm grateful for you saving me. But just... leave me, please. I need to think."

Wanda didn't want to let him out of her sight, but she still got up and opened the door to go. "I'll be across the hall. Try and get some sleep. If you're feeling up to it, we can discuss what to do next in the morning. What you want to do." She went to say something else, before shaking her head and closing the door.

Vision's gaze returned to his hand. There was something - something on his hand he could just about see against his normal skin. It was a smear of dark red. With a jolt, he realised what it was. _Blood_.

He raced to the bathroom, turning on the tap and running his hand under the water. The water turned pink as it washed away the blood from his hand - there was something oddly calming about the feeling of water on his skin. It washed away not only the blood, but as well as the dirt that had accumulated over the last week. _Wanda's right... it was self defence. And he'll be alright... but__ what about the other eleven?_

Vision shook his head, and looked up into the mirror. Thankfully his appearance was distracting enough, at least for a short while. He leaned closer to his reflection to get a closer look at the ragged lines, as well as the mysterious yellow stone. The edge of the sink bumped against his side, causing him to flinch. Had the kicks from the men truly damaged him? He could definitely feel some pain; he should take a look.

Vision allowed the upper half of his suit to fade away, but before he could even begin to look at where the men had kicked him...

He lifted one hand to his chest, and the other to his stomach. There were two large vertical lines. The skin was uneven, indented - darker, than his normal skin. The mark on his chest was less obvious, covered over with new lines of metal - but it wasn't at all symmetrical with the left side of his chest. There was more metal covering the right side than the other...

_"Josephine, we've run out of tissue for his upper chest."_

_"Add more vibranium. It won't impact his phasing."_

_"But it'll look uneven -"_

_"So? It's not a modelling shoot."_

Vision frowned, pulling at the asymmetrical metal panels, prodding at the discoloured skin. His heart raced even faster when he turned around, and saw a similar mark on his back that mirrored the one on his stomach. It was almost as if he had been pierced with something - something sharp, like a -

Like a blade.

In his mind, he saw a place. He heard a noise, the screech of metal and shuddering of railings. He saw a train fly by. Possessed by an unknown force, Vision was back in his suit in moments as he phased through the window and into the rain.

A few minutes later, Wanda knocked on his door.

"Vision? I forgot to give you your room card..." She waited for a response. She knocked again, harder. "Vizh?" When he still didn't answer, she used the room card to open the door. His room was empty.

Wanda ran to the window, looking into the darkness and rain - he was flying towards the glass roof in the distance. Her heart sank, as she realized it was the same glass roof they had fallen through years ago.

Vision was going to Waverley Station.


	30. Come home

**_Enjoy this chapter, and I hope you're all safe and well. :)_**

At one in the morning, and with the rain steadily turning into a downpour, the streets of Edinburgh were empty. While Wanda was running as fast as her soaked boots would allow, forcing her umbrella against the wind and rain, Vision had already arrived at Waverley Station.

He had not been into the train station at all since his arrival. His subconscious made him look away whenever he passed by, he didn't really have a reason or desire to go in there - and the sound of the trains rattling by made him feel anxious. But he had _seen _it in his mind, so he knew he had been there before.

Vision didn't think about Thanos, his guilt, or even the incident with the three men as he landed on the slippery glass roof. Shifting into his human form, he began scouring the glass, pacing across it in the rain. He was looking for an anomaly of some kind, some kind of proof, that it had once been broken, as he had seen in the flash of memory.

His eyes found a part of the roof that seemed new compared to the rest. The glass was cleaner, the metal holding it in place less rusty. Like the indents in his skin, it had been a replacement, but didn't quite fit the rest of the design.

The sound of breaking glass echoed again in his mind.

He phased through the roof, drifting to the stone floor of the empty station. His eyes scanned the dark corners of the station, the eerie silence in what would normally be a busy place causing his skin to crawl with unease, and, more worryingly, the indents in his torso to twinge.

He didn't like it here... but he couldn't leave until he'd found it, what stood out to him in that flash. Vision looked to the maps, the train schedule, coffee shop, the roof again. _Where is it? _

A thunderous sound and the screech of metal made him jolt. A train rushed past, buffeting him with cold air and raindrops from the tracks outside. After it finally passed, he spotted what he was looking for. The green metal barrier, separating the platform from the rest of the station floor.

Vision went to the barrier, and moved his fingertips moved across the slight, yet visible dent in the bars.

"_Come on! You've got to get up! Come on, we have to go!"_

The indent in his side seared with pain. He seized the bars, the stone feeling as though it were burning a hole in his skull.

It moved fast. They hit the concrete hard, and Vision went flying into the barrier at full force. He felt the wound in his side open further by the force of the jolt to his body. He dragged his limbs together, hands grappling at the floor in a weak attempt to rise, but the more he moved, the more his side radiated with pain.

Wanda began frantically pulling at his arm, but he could only slump against the barrier and shake his head in defeat. He lifted a hand to touch her face, trying to get her to listen. The alien's warning echoed in his mind; give up the stone, and she lives. If he surrendered now, she could live, she could be _safe_ -

_"Please, leave -"_

Wanda's lips were moving in response, but his memory flickered, and there was no sound until the glass roof shattered once more.

They were there, the other worldly creatures stalking toward them, a look of sadistic satisfaction plastered over their faces; they knew they had them cornered. There was where to run, nowhere to hide now. Wanda stood, wobbling a little as she did, but she found her feet, standing in a protective stance.

She glanced over her shoulder at him.

_"Just go."_ He pleaded.

_"Never."_ She hissed, before turning away to face the two.

Their eyes narrowed at Wanda as she blocked their way. The male dragged his blade across the concrete as one last warning, offering her one last chance to stand aside. Wanda only stepped closer, hands beginning to flare, while Vision slumped against the barrier. He could only hope it would be over quickly...

Vision found himself back in the present, collapsed by the barrier as he had once been.

He didn't want to be there one moment more. He ran out of the station and into the street, into the pouring rain. Vision now knew what the feeling in his eyes had been when he lay on cold roofs at night. Days of bottled emotion broke apart. His entire body racked as he began to sob into his hands.

The voice of Josephine filled his mind. _"He's a machine, no more. He can't feel."_

"You're wrong." He whispered. "But I wish you weren't..."

Vision didn't see Wanda approaching, but it wasn't long before he felt her presence. He turned to look at her from where she stood under an umbrella.

The look on his face broke Wanda's heart. She had seen him display every possible emotion in the time she knew him, but the look on his face now... never had she seen him this distraught.

"I remember what happened inside. We were hunted..." Vision backed away when Wanda tried to step closer. "I don't know if I want to remember. I don't want to know -"

"What happened in Waverley Station, what happened after, that was only the end. Right now you only remember the the worst days of your life. But there was so much more before that. It wasn't all good, but a lot of it was..."

Vision barely heard. "Look at me. Think about what I have done."

Wanda lifted the umbrella over him, holding the lapel of his coat in a vice grip. At first he resisted, trying to break away, but her touch immobilized him. "I don't care what you've done. Siren used you. You don't need to feel guilty for _anything,_ hear me?"

"But those people -"

_"Vision."_ Wanda said, gently. Somehow her soft tone silenced all the voices inside his head. "Stop tormenting yourself. You've been through enough. And you know what? So what if you've hurt some people? You don't remember this yet, but you did so much good for the world."

The rain seemed a little softer, but it still continued to fall. Maybe she was lying to him to spare his feelings... yet he saw only honesty in her eyes. His gaze drifted to the faint scar above her eyebrow, and he recalled seeing a streak of blood in the same place in the memory.

"What kind of good?"

"Your whole life, you just wanted to help people, and you did. You've saved countless lives, including mine. When Thanos came for the stone, you didn't even think about what would happen to you. All you could think of was who would suffer when he got it. You were prepared to do anything to keep the stone from him."

Wanda briefly trailed off, but she found her voice again. "And I'm prepared to do anything to help you, because you deserved so much better. Your life wasn't perfect. But it was good."

The more Wanda spoke, the more change there was within Vision's eyes. They were no longer cold and fractured. Softer. More trusting.

"Wanda..."

"I will do everything in my power to help you get your life back. Come back with me, and we can help you remember it."

Go with her?

Wanda could help find the pieces of him that were lost. But what if they were scattered too far for either of them to reach? Pieces of him thrown overboard, possibly lost to the sea forever?

"I only have two memories." Vision whispered. "What if that's all? What if the rest never comes back?"

"We'll find a way. There must be something we can do. And if your memory doesn't return..." She quickly brushed the water from her face. "At least you can start a new life with us."

"You would really help me do that?"

"Of course I would." Wanda murmured.

Vision tried to remind himself just how little he knew Wanda, but he couldn't hear the doubts, nor the tormenting voices any more. He knew he could trust her. He nodded, and Wanda asked again.

"Please, come with me. Come _home."_

Home. That was no longer in Edinburgh - now that he thought about it, it never had felt like it. But as he stood with Wanda, he no longer felt lost. Vision's fingertips brushed the back of her hand, before he took it, interlacing his fingers with hers.

Their palms connected, but the connection wasn't just physical. To him, Wanda no longer felt like a stranger. To her, for a moment, she almost felt like she was holding the hand of the Vision she knew. The one who loved her.

"I'm not sure if I will be able to remember everything. But I will try."


	31. Not-quite-new roommate

_**So, how is everyone else coping with this lockdown? My country has been under lockdown for over a month now, but I'm doing okay. Let me know how you are and how you're passing the time! **_

_**I hope that everyone is safe and well, whether you're in quarantine or if **__**you're lucky enough not to be in one. Hopefully this will be over soon and we can return to normal. Anyway, this is a lighter chapter to lighten your days. **_

A choking sound brought Sam and Bucky running into the room. Goose was crouched on the floor, looking rather pleased with himself - in front of him was a heap of plastic and wires covered in saliva.

"Oh, god. That's freaky. And disgusting." Bucky picked up Goose, holding him at arm's length, before dropping him onto the couch. Goose merely looked at them with a blank, innocent stare, as if this was perfectly normal. They looked closer at the mess on the floor. "Wait a minute. Isn't that my radio?"

"I don't believe that." Sam shook his head. They knew that Goose wasn't an average cat, but they didn't think it could get any stranger than him grabbing sparrows with his tentacles on the front lawn. Now he was regurgitating household objects. "We might have a bag of rice somewhere." He suggested with a grin, starting to see the funny side.

"Bag of rice? Look at it! It's half digested." Bucky nudged the heap of slimy metal with his shoe. "It's fine, I'll get a new one... Carol was joking when she said that flerkens spit acid, right?"

"Of course she was." Sam stooped, seemingly to pick up the remains of the radio, only to yell, waving his arm in agony. Bucky gasped and ran to the sink, frantically turning it on. Sam started laughing. The look of terror on Bucky's face disappeared at once as he aggressively turned off the tap, leaving indents in it with his metal hand.

"Don't scare me like that. That's not funny."

Sam staggered away, doubled over in laughter. "I'll grab the mop."

On the other side of the world, Vision sat at the little desk in Wanda's hotel room, the quietness in the room interrupted by the consistent sound of typing and more rain on the window. Wanda was packing her case, occasionally looking at the screen, to see what he was googling.

She had given Vision a basic run down of his life; how he was created, Ultron and Sokovia, his involvement with the Avengers, and that they had spent the last two years meeting across Europe after the team broke up. As friends, of course. Of course...

Vision wanted to know as much as possible, so Wanda had offered him her laptop to browse, to fill in any gaps. He had spent the last hour researching things, more recent things, such as the Decimation and it's reversal, or 'Siren' - to no recent results. Right now he had an article open, titled - '_Blipped? Here's everything you missed'._

The sound of typing ceased, as Vision was distracted by the reflection of Wanda in the mirror above the desk. He watched her open a small box, brow furrowed with indecision as she tried to decide what rings she wanted to wear that day, all while red tendrils of light moved her belongings and clothes into her case.

She must have felt his eyes on her, because she suddenly glanced up at him with a small smile. He quickly went back to typing, his google entry now riddled with grammar mistakes as he thought less about spelling and more about Wanda's smile.

Vision continued his research, ignoring the temptation to look into the mirror again. Learning about the Decimation was an uncomfortable experience, but the discomfort was distracting him from his other problems, especially his regrets. He barely noticed Wanda had slipped out of the room to make a call.

Back at the compound, the both of them were in the middle of transporting the slime-covered radio to the bin, balancing it between a mop and broom, when Sam's phone began ringing.

"Shit, where's my phone?" Sam began patting his pockets and shifting newspapers and paperwork on the kitchen counter, while Bucky was looking suspiciously at Goose, who was sauntering down the hallway. They eventually tracked down the phone under a couch pillow.

"-Wanda? Hello?"

"Hi, what's up?"

There was a long pause as the both of them looked at the puddle of flerken saliva and corroded plastic on the wooden floor by the couch.

"- Nothing of interest." Bucky said, quickly. "What's happened?"

"I'm coming back - actually, _we're_ coming back."

They looked at each other in a mixture of relief and surprise. "That's great! That was fast..." After a moment of taking this fact in, Sam exchanged a concerned look with Bucky.

While Wanda was away, they had discussed the prospect of Vision coming to live back at the compound. They were content enough with the idea; but their near fatal encounters with Vision in the last few weeks meant that they weren't entirely comfortable with it.

"How is his memory? How is he in himself?" Bucky asked, optimistically.

Wanda lowered her voice. "We've got a long way to go. He's quiet, a little nervous..." But then, that wasn't surprising considering the events of last night, which she opted to keep from them at the moment. "Compared to yesterday, he's more like himself. I've got another problem, though. Passport related."

"Oh, shit." Sam groaned. "Didn't he have fake documents?"

"He had them with him in 2018, but I don't know what happened to them - he must have left them in the hotel..."

Wanda's brow furrowed as she had a thought. She didn't want to risk using her fake passport again. If she was caught she would be in enough trouble, but with Vision alongside her... on his own he might seem like any person, but next to her, with a comparison to be made, people might notice...

_Might notice? _The inner voice scoffed. She could just see it now: Wanda Maximoff, caught by airport security for using a fake passport, accompanied by a tall man with a peculiar mark on his forehead who _just so happened_ to have identical facial features to a certain Avenger. Of course people would notice. It was just too risky.

Wanda sighed. _I'll have to do it eventually. _"Do you think we could take the quinjet?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not." Sam's eyes moved to the new quinjet, able to see it from the glass wall of the joint kitchen and living area. "We can send it to the old rendezvous point in the woods."

"Is there anything you want us to do before you guys arrive?" Bucky asked. "Maybe tidy up his room a bit, put on fresh sheets?"

"That would be great, thank you. Can you both do me another favour? When we arrive, just treat him as normally as possible. I think normality is the best thing for him at the moment."

"Yeah, we can do normal." Sam assured her, but he sounded nervous. "Anything else we can do to help?"

Wanda felt for Vision, affirming that he wasn't eavesdropping. Her insides knotted as she asked. "One more thing. Please don't mention Wakanda in any way. Not the stones, not Thanos, nothing."

"Alright, fair enough. See you soon." Sam hung up, brow creased. "Why not?"

"She probably doesn't want to provoke any frightening memories." Bucky said, darkly. "Can't say I blame her. Do you think he remembers that part yet?"

"Hmm..."

* * *

In what felt like no time at all, Vision was standing at the jet window, watching Edinburgh grow smaller and smaller, until finally it disappeared behind a mountain and out of view. The jet glided seamlessly through the air; Vision could barely feel it move despite how fast they were going - it seemed as though he'd blinked and now they were already zooming over the ocean, the coastline shrinking out of view.

Wanda was in the pilot's seat, muttering under her breath as she tried to set it into autopilot. Vision scanned the holographic screen, his eyes rapidly moving across it until he saw what Wanda was looking for.

"I think it's the top right corner." He said, helpfully.

"Right. Thanks, Vizh." She tapped the screen, and the controls started moving on their own accord.

For a few minutes, Wanda tried to gather the courage to turn the seat around and talk to him. This was a good opportunity to try and ease the friction between them. It wasn't necessarily a bad friction - just awkward. The brief closeness they had kindled in Waverley Station was gone, and they were back to strangers.

Wanda twisted her rings around her fingers. _You've spoken to him a thousand times before. He's still Vision, he's just like he was when we first met... _

Vision watched more clouds racing by. _Why is this so difficult?_ _Say something to her, anything... _

"You doing okay?" Wanda finally twisted the seat around.

"Getting there." He replied.

"There's a few things I should tell you before we get to New York. To put it bluntly, the world still thinks you're dead, and people were - and still are - afraid of the Avengers. Especially you and me."

"I know. I read some articles on your laptop that expressed that quite vividly." Vision knew where her point was leading. "I won't go outside looking like this." He gestured to his natural red form.

"It won't be forever." Wanda promised. "Soon, we'll tell the world you're alive, and we'll make up some kind of story as to how you came back. We need to let a little time pass first, in case they think you were responsible for -"

"More lies?" The words slipped out of Vision's mouth before he could stop them. Wanda lowered her eyes, fiddling with the hem of her cardigan. "Sorry," he said, quickly. "I didn't think." Oddly enough, Wanda looked less uncomfortable and more... guilty. He didn't think much over it.

"I know that. But the world won't understand that you were forced to. It doesn't like taking chances with people like you and me. Believe me." Wanda looked into the windscreen, thinking about the Raft prison. When Vision would visit her in Europe, her nightmares about that place weren't just about her.

Sometimes she had horrible dreams of him, stuck in an adjacent cell with electric walls and a shock collar around his neck like hers... looking back on it, her nightmares had foretold the future. That was a future she couldn't even bear thinking of.

"I won't sugarcoat it, Vizh. If someone finds out you were alive at the same time, they won't let us explain. They won't care that you were under someone else's control. They will come for you."

When she said this, Vision wasn't worried about himself. He was more worried about how scared Wanda sounded. "Alright. I'll be careful."

* * *

They ascended the stairs that lead to the main living quarters. Wanda had given up carrying her case by hand, allowing it to levitate in a cloud in magic. "Go into the grounds whenever you want by all means, but just be careful, okay? We've had some security issues."

"Security issues? Did something happen?"

"We've had a few incidents. People climbing the fences... I went out for a run, when this guy with a camera started chasing me and my friend..."

"He did what?" Vision tore his eyes off the floating suitcase, to give Wanda a look of alarm.

"Don't worry, I hit him in the face." Wanda said, without thinking. There was an awkward pause. Sometimes she had to remind herself that this wasn't the normal Vision, and she couldn't just say anything in front of him. "He asked me an inappropriate question."

"What kind of inappropriate -"

"You don't need to know." Wanda said quickly, climbing the stairs faster so he wouldn't see how red her face was.

Wanda emerged into the main room, spotting Sam and Bucky immediately - they were waiting for them. The former was pacing, and the latter was sitting on the couch, tapping his foot, apparently less apprehensive then Sam.

"Hey, Wanda." Sam greeted her, before his troubled gaze moved to Vision, who had just crested the stairs to stand next to her.

Vision knew for certain he'd encountered them recently, but also, he knew them from _before, _like how he felt with Wanda. Bucky came forward first, smiling, while Sam hung back a bit, studying Vision from a distance.

"I'm Bucky Barnes." He shook Vision's hand with his metal one. Vision took a moment to register that Bucky had an entire limb made of metal, but he didn't question it just yet.

"How did I know you?" Vision asked; unlike Wanda, Bucky felt less familiar.

Bucky's first thought was 'you tried to arrest me once', but he kept it to himself. "Being honest, we didn't really know each other too well. We only met a few times. Either way, welcome back."

Sam finally came forward, looking less worried, but there was still sadness behind his smile. He extended his hand and Vision shook it. "I'm Sam Wilson. It's good to see you again, Vision."

He suddenly had a very vivid memory of flying above some trees, and reaching toward a set of wings, followed by Sam tumbling through the sky... and later, forcing him under the surface of the flooding bunker. He saw all three of the people who were currently welcoming him with open arms go flying across dark rooms, dodging his attacks. He felt a new stab of guilt.

"I'm sorry." Vision said, a cloud of shame descending over his face - no matter how much Wanda told him it didn't matter, it couldn't stop how he felt. "For everything I've put you through. All of you - if I could have stopped myself I would."

"You don't need to apologise for something that wasn't your fault." Bucky said, firmly. "None of us blame you for what happened."

"But still -"

The look of unease on Sam face softened. "It's alright, buddy." He said. "Honestly, no one in this room really got off to the best start with one another. So, let's start over."

"He's not wrong there." Bucky chuckled. "We all have stories, but those can wait. We'll show you around, and your room. It was already set -" Wanda kicked his leg. "I mean, we just set it up. Come on, we'll show you."


	32. Moving on

As they showed him around the facility, Vision picked up on the unspoken tension. Sam and Bucky were clearly uneasy - they smiled, were very welcoming, but they didn't let him get too close, keeping a few paces ahead and casting what they didn't think were nervous looks over their shoulder at him. They didn't realise that Vision noticed, and his mood sank lower and lower as the tour went on.

His mind kept returning to why they were afraid of him. _They can't help it. Not after what you did. _He began to think about about the exact things he'd told himself he _wouldn't_ think about. How hard he'd hit that man's head in Edinburgh, the eleven people...

Wanda had noticed his shift in mood, and a quick look into his mind told her why. She wanted to say something to Sam and Bucky, but what difference would that make? Nobody could ignore the instincts hard-wired into every human brain. Fear could not be controlled, not even by her.

"It's been a long time since they've seen you as yourself." Wanda said, in a low voice. "That's why they're so tense."

"Have you been reading my mind?" He asked, a little defensively.

Wanda's subconscious couldn't tell the difference between the old Vision - the one who didn't mind her casually reading his thoughts - and this new Vision. It was Wanda's turn to feel guilty, as she realized that she had been peering into his mind all day without really thinking about it or considering his privacy.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so used to doing it. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I won't do it again."

"Please." Vision didn't forget what she said. "They're afraid of me. I don't blame them."

"Let them get to know you again. If it makes you feel better, when we first met, Sam was terrified of me." Wanda's face softened with another fond memory. "They can't help but be afraid of you. It's an involuntary response from their amygdala."

Vision's expression shifted.

* * *

"-and this is your room." Sam turned the handle to the door and allowed it to swing open.

Vision took a few steps inside. There was a single bed in the corner, a painting on the wall, with two chairs and a small table with a chess set on it. There was also a chest of drawers with a set of books stacked.

These items weren't brand new. The cabinet had a crack in it. The fabric of one of the chair arm rests was fraying, and some of the books had clearly been read. "Were these... mine?"

"The exact ones." Wanda said, leaning against the doorframe. The corner of her mouth curled into a fond smile when the first place he wandered to was the small table with the chess set. She mentally counted each piece, making sure that Goose hadn't helped himself while she was away. Where was Goose, anyway?

"I thought the original building was destroyed?"

"That's true." Bucky said. "When you all disappeared, your belongings were moved into the basement."

"Luckily Tony designed it to survive a nuclear war, so most of our stuff remained intact." Sam added. "Including yours. We'll give you a moment." They backed away from the door, leaving Vision alone in his room.

All of the books stacked were ringing bells. As he read every title, he could name at least one character, at least one location with each book. He opened the drawers of the cabinet, looking through the nearly folded clothes.

He lifted out a slightly creased navy sweater, noting how the seams seemed stretched - this was something he'd worn. Suddenly, looking at his suit and cape, Vision began to feel overdressed.

Outside the closed door, Bucky turned to face Wanda. "How did you persuade him to come with you?"

She explained the events of the last few days. "I guess that's why he trusts me. He remembers Thanos and Waverley Station - like I said earlier, please don't bring up Wakanda. I don't want to provoke any frighten memories."

Sam and Bucky nodded in understanding, and while Wanda appeared calm, her chest felt as though it were full of nervous butterflies. _More like you don't want him to know the truth..._

_Shut up, Josephine. _

The door to Vision's room opened, and all three of them took a double take when they saw he was wearing normal clothes.

"I felt overdressed." He admitted.

_You're still overdressed, _Wanda thought to herself. He had a familiar navy sweater on with black trousers, but there was a formal white shirt on underneath, the collar buttoned all the way up to his throat. He had dressed like this a lot in the first year before the team split - like he was going to an interview. Wanda's heart still melted, and the feeling of nervous butterflies felt less like worry and more like love.

There was the jingle of a bell, and Vision jumped almost a foot. Something fluffy had rubbed against his ankle.

"Goose!" Wanda exclaimed, sternly. Vision blinked incredulously at the ginger cat staring up at him. Had she really called him 'Goose', or had his circuits failed?

"...Goose?"

"We forgot to mention our temporary houseguest." His confusion flew over Wanda's head as she scooped him up, and Goose immediately began to purr loudly in her arms. "Goose, this is our old friend, Vision." The cat looked at him as she said this, as if he could understand what she was saying.

"Also," Bucky added. "He's an alien cat. Try not to piss him off."

Vision shook his head. An alien cat called Goose. This couldn't get any more strange. Goose wriggled out of Wanda's grasp, only to immediately go back to Vision, nudging him with his nose and meowing loudly. With a little uncertainty, he crouched to pet Goose on the head.

"Now _that_ is weird. He's usually a jerk to everyone." Sam looked confused as Goose bumped his head against Vision's hand in response, purring madly. "He likes you."

Goose's warm welcome and the change of clothing helped to shift Sam and Bucky's tension. They were a lot more relaxed as they went through a few rules and showed Vision around the compound. Then they passed a certain wall.

"The team throughout the years." Bucky said, pulling his foot away from Goose as the flerken began to chew at his shoelace.

About thirty framed photos took up this section of the wall. Vision looked at them all - smiling, happy, familiar strangers. There were some people up there he knew he'd never met, like the blue-skinned woman with metal inserts in her face. But others...

A new kind of tension emerged - this was the big moment. How many people could he recognise?

Wanda looked curiously at him. "Can you name some of them? Don't feel under pressure, just, if you can... "

Vision walked up and down the side of the wall, eyes moving across every photo. He stopped at a frame. "Tony and Miss Potts." He said, not asking - he knew. In the photo, the both of them were smiling, peering down into something swaddled with blankets.

For a few minutes, Vision tried to identify other people, struggling - out of all the others, he could only name Rhodes and Peter Parker. However, he stared at a photo of a young man with silver hair for quite some time. Wanda tried not to feel disappointed when Vision could not name her brother.

"I always liked this photo." Sam interjected. "It was our first - well, only - christmas before the team split."

Vision was on one side, floating several feet off the ground, putting various ornaments on an enormous tree in perfect horizontal lines. Sam stood just below him, passing up ornaments with one hand while pointing to other branches as he did.

_"No - Vision, buddy, they don't have to be in uniform lines!"_

On the other side, Wanda was using her powers to place a star on a branch she couldn't reach, while trying to hide her face to avoid being caught by the camera. An older woman with red hair was posing next to her, grinning at whoever was taking the photo.

It was a lovely photograph. It seemed so... normal.

_You're not normal. You don't deserve normal. _

"Excuse me," Vision said, before briskly walking down the corridor. "I just need some air."

Surprisingly, the one who followed him this time was Bucky. He knew the look on Vision's face - he saw it every time he looked in the mirror.

"I'll talk to him. I think I know what's on his mind."

* * *

Vision stood on the balcony in his human form, staring into the distance. Had the three men from Edinburgh been alright? How could Sam tolerate being in the same room as him after he'd nearly drowned him? How many times had he almost killed Wanda herself?

He kept seeing the look on her face, of heartache and disappointment as he stayed the same, as he stayed far from the person she knew as her friend. He wanted to remember, he really did, but it was hard to concentrate on that when there was so much noise and guilt trapped inside his head...

"Hey." He turned, surprised to see Bucky, leaning against the sliding glass door. "What's going on?"

"It's just a lot to take in." Vision admitted. "All this..."

"That's not all, though, is it?" Bucky prompted. "I know how you feel. I was like you, once. You might remember, I don't know - but Hydra used me as well."

Vision's gaze moved to Bucky's metal arm, realizing what struck him about it.

"You were the the Winter Soldier."

"You remember? Good." Bucky stepped forward to lean on the balcony wall, looking out across the lawn. "Believe me, I committed far worse atrocities then you did. I know it's difficult, but you just have to move on. You can't waste your life regretting things that were beyond your control."

"How did you cope with it all?"

Bucky fiddled with the metal panes of his arm with his normal hand, his expression turning serious. "It's not easy. Cope is a strong word. It took a long time to fix my brain, and even longer for me to accept that I wasn't to blame for what happened. That guilt doesn't really go away. But I found ways to manage."

"Like what?"

"Keep your mind busy. Help people out wherever you can. Let your friends help you and don't push them away. I had a great friend to help me. He might be gone now, but... he helped me to accept that I was a victim, as you were." Bucky looked toward the lake, thinking about something Wanda said to him.

"Maybe it would help to write down what you want to leave behind on a piece of paper, and either burn it, or lock it in a box and throw it in the lake."

Vision looked toward the lake as well. Could writing it down and disposing of it be that simple?

"Do you think it will help?"

"I haven't tried it personally, but Wanda says it helped her let something go." For some reason, Vision thought about the photograph of the young man with silver hair. "You have nothing to lose."

* * *

Vision looked at the piece of paper and the pen in his hand. What to write? What did he want to leave behind?

He wrote down a few things.

_Siren._

_Last few months._

_Thanos._

Vision placed the piece of paper in the small woven casket Sam had brought; it had been an old desk organizer with small latches to close it. Then they headed out toward the lake, with Goose trotting behind them, staying close to Vision the whole time.

They arrived at the lakeside. Vision looked at the case on his hands, thinking, having second thoughts. "It seems too simple."

"It's meant to be a psychological thing. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it helps. You know," Wanda said, gazing across the lake. "We - I - did something similar to this a few years ago. It helped. Even if it doesn't work for you, there's no harm in trying."

Vision nodded, before he looked back at the thought about saying a few words, but none came. His grip tightened on the case, as an icy voice mocked him. It sounded like Josephine again. _Throwing a box into a lake isn't going to change anything..._

"You were a victim." Bucky spoke over the voice. "Put it to rest now."

Vision drew his arm back over his shoulder, and threw the case with all his might. It sailed across the lake, further than any human could throw, and landed with a splash. It floated briefly before the water claimed it and pulled it under the surface.

He watched the surface of the lake until it stopped rippling, and there was the crunch of lake stones as Wanda stepped forward to stand by his side.

"How did that feel?" She asked.

Vision gazed across the still water, quiet for a moment. "Better."

* * *

On his first night sleeping at the compound, Vision had a dream. A small part of him believed it was a memory, but he couldn't be sure. It was probably just a dream... his busy mind making up some kind of strange parallel to what happened earlier...

_Vision stood at the lakeside with Wanda. She was hugging an old jewerelly box to her chest, the lid lifted so that she could look at the message for a moment longer. Written in Sokovian, it translated to: 'Goodbye, brother.'_

_"I'm not sure this will work, Vizh." __Wanda said, with a half-hearted smile. "I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I __don't think it's as easy as locking it away."_

_"T__here's no harm in trying." Vision said, gently. "It's meant to have a psychological effect. I researched it, therapists use a similar technique. Writing your thoughts on a piece of paper can be a cathartic experience, it can help unresolved feelings of loss and - I'll stop talking now." _

_He cut himself off, not wanting to irritate her with his over analysis or worse, hurt her feelings by talking about grief. Instead, Wanda was trying not to smile. __"You're so sweet when you go off on a tangent."_

_She hesitated before closing the latch of the jewerelly box, looking at the paper, the last goodbye to her brother, one final time. _

_"Alright. Let's do it." She hugged the box to her chest. "I know it's been a year, Pietro. Don't see this as me trying to forget you, because I never will. I just have to say goodbye now." _

_Red light streamed from her hands to cocoon the box. The box began to float across the lake, and when it reached the middle, she eased it into the water, and then dropped her hands, allowing it to sink. _

_"How did that feel?" Vision asked. Wanda gazed across the still water, quiet for a moment._

_"Better."_


	33. Tea and coffee

**_Enjoy the next few chapters, they're going to be quite light and sweet with a few flashbacks here and there, as we develop the new connection between our two before the plot thickens..._**

Three days after Vision had arrived, Wanda was woken in the early morning by a meowing.

She cracked open her eyelid. "What is it?" She grumbled. Goose continued to nudge her with his nose, repeatedly clawing at her duvet cover. He often did this when he was hungry, but the dangers of a hungry flerken didn't bother Wanda after a mere five hours of sleep. She tried to gently swat him away.

"Goose, it's seven am... ask someone else." She turned over, but Goose continued to nudge her, meowing growing more demanding and more annoying as he speed at her hair. _Don't give in, you have to be firm but kind - _she pulled the duvet over her head. Goose then let a out a more sorrowful mewl, like a desperate kitten.

Cursing in Sokovian, Wanda sat up, throwing her duvet off. "Fine. You win." Goose happily leapt off the bed and went trotting to the door, waiting expectantly for her.

Wanda trudged down the hall and into the kitchen. It was still somewhat dark outside, grey and dreary with the lawn frosted over. She looked in the fridge, finding some pre-cooked chicken, glancing down at Goose who sat patiently by his foodbowl.

"Is this good enough?" She barely had time to empty it into his bowl before Goose began wolfing it down. Wanda slumped into a kitchen stool, rubbing at her eyes; as the sleep began to fade and her sight cleared, she noticed that someone was on the couch.

There was Vision, laying on the sofa, a book resting on his chest; he had clearly fallen sleep at some point through reading. She looked down at Goose, who looked up from his bowl briefly, giving her an intense look. Why hadn't he harassed Vision instead? They had told Vision how to feed Goose, so that wasn't an issue. It wasn't like the _cat_ was trying to get them to spend more time together...

"I can't figure either of you out..." She murmured as she watched him sleep, noting the steady rise and fall of his chest, how the unfamiliar stone seemed to glow dimmer when he slept. A few minutes later, there was the sound of someone coming up the stairs. She didn't have to wonder who it was for long, as one of Sam's running shoes came flying up onto the landing as he began removing them on the last flight.

"Morning, Wanda -"

"Ssh!" Wanda hissed, pointing at Vision's sleeping form. Sam jolted when he spotted him on the couch.

"Jesus. I didn't even notice him earlier..." Sam lightly crossed the room, trying not to disturb him. "What are you doing up?" He asked her, as he retrieved the orange juice from the fridge.

"Glass, Sam." She said, without even turning around as he went to swig from the bottle. "Goose was hungry." She eyed Vision, who hadn't stirred.

Sam swirled the juice around the glass. "You know, I think he's doing great." He wasn't just trying to be optimistic - Vision had settled quickly over the last few days. He was no longer sitting around looking guilty, but he was making an effort to get to know them all, and likewise. Dropping his problems into the lake seemed to have worked so far.

"He's getting more like himself... things are still awkward between us. He's more comfortable around you and Bucky than he is with me, though. Although it's not like him to drift off..." she remarked. Sam looked at the book on Vision's chest, narrowing his eyes to make out the title.

"Ah, no wonder. He's reading Shakespeare." He looked down at his glass of orange juice again. Wanda still looked at Vision the same way - her eyes would soften, glossing over with fond memories and that love, prevailing. Sam had no idea how Vision could believe that they had merely been friends. "Are you going to tell him that you two..."

"We'll see." She murmured, but Sam knew that Wanda's version of 'we'll see' more often than not meant 'no'.

Goose nudged his metal bowl, causing an unpleasant metallic scraping noise. Vision sat up with such force that the book went flying onto the floor, and his head snapped toward the source of the noise, his eyes wide with panic.

"It's okay, it was just Goose... " Wanda said, and Vision looked down at the flerken for confirmation. He blinked before shaking his head. "You okay, Vizh?" She asked, in concern.

"Fine." He murmured. "I'm fine..." Vision wanted to say that the scrape of metal was the first sound he heard when Josephine woke him up, but he didn't want to tell Wanda that. Not quite yet.

Sam began to retreat toward the hallway. "See you guys. I'm going to have a shower." Off he went, leaving Wanda and Vision alone, with Goose looking up at the both of them.

"Sorry, I didn't intend to sleep here." Vision began pulling at his pyjama sleeve. "I must have drifted off..."

"Don't apologise. You can sleep wherever you want." Wanda levitated the dropped book onto the coffee table.

"You're up early..." Vision tried to scrap together his social skills; they seemed to disappear whenever he was speaking to Wanda.

_Relax, act normal. _Wanda told herself as she prepared to talk to him. _You've spoken to him a thousand times. _"It's his fault." She pointed down at Goose, who was now rubbing himself against Vision's leg. "He's out of food... maybe I'll run to the store later..."

Vision reached to stroke Goose behind the ears. He had quickly grown fond of the flerken. "If it's no trouble... can I come with you? I would like to learn - re-learn - as much as I can."

Wanda was unsure. Taking Vision grocery shopping? With the mark on his forehead, they still faced the same risk of being seen together... In the few moments of silence, as he often did, Vision back to backtrack on his suggestion, afraid that it was unwelcome.

"If it's too risky I understand - if you just want to go alone I understand as well - don't feel like you have to -"

Wanda felt her heart begin melting again. He was adorable when he did this, when he would get nervous and start to stutter. "Of course you can." She said, with a smile, and Vision looked relieved, offering her a thin smile back. Too awake now to go back to bed, Wanda went about making herself some tea, switching on the kettle.

"What are you doing?"

So many questions. It really was like the first year...

"Oh, just, making tea..."

Vision didn't know why he asked when he knew that already. Every morning, he would enter this room, and Wanda would be making herself said cup of tea or coffee.

"Can I make it for you?" He asked, a little timidly. It wasn't an offer, but a request. Wanda glanced up from the kettle and the running tap. "I want to see if I can remember how to make it." He explained.

"Sure thing. Go ahead." Wanda stepped back to allow him access. She tried to distract herself with the sink, surrounding the crushed tap handle with her powers to try and fix the huge dents Bucky had made a few days before. She watched Vision in the corner of her eye.

Vision opened the small box neatly filled with sachets of tea. "Which -" he searched for the word. "Flavour?"

"Surprise me."

Vision browsed through the sachets, before choosing one. Wanda assumed that his choice was a coincidence. Earl grey happened to be her favourite tea...

* * *

_They were standing in a kitchen. From the couch, Tony was designing something new. "-Friday, just change that panel to gold."_

_"Really? Another suit, Tony?" Natasha remarked, from where she was writing something down in a notebook. _

_"Just a new design. Couple of refining touches..." Tony replied, speaking slowly while his mind worked at a hundred miles an hour. "Maybe if my coffee hurries I'll finish it faster..."_

_"You'll wait for as long as you have to." Wanda said, dryly. Natasha gave Tony a hard look._

_"Sorry, witch - kid." he said, quickly. "Take as much time as you need to train our new barista."_

_"Shut up." __Wanda rolled her eyes, and any irritation disappeared at once as she turned to face Vision with a smile.__ "Before we were so rudely interrupted... most people like to add milk, Nat likes almond so that's what we're using..." _

_V__ision drank in her words as if he were drinking the coffee she had just made. He watched her pour the milk into the mug, then he watched in awe as red sparks surrounded the spoon and it began to stir by itself. "Your telekinesis is certainly becoming more efficient."_

_Wanda disguised a chuckle as a cough. The way he spoke so formally made her laugh sometimes. "Thanks, Vizh."_

_The cloud of grief that had stranded her in her room for weeks on end was beginning to pass, as__ Wanda began to allow __slants of sunlight through the cloud cover. Light came to her in the form of training, befriending the team - and the light that shone the brightest was Vision. _

_Sometimes he would irritate her by asking question after question, how he didn't understand__ certain social cues. But a lot of the time, he __was a welcome distraction. She had been teaching him social skills, she would suggest movies, music, books. Sometimes they would experience those things together, and that was nice, as the person she used to read with, watch with, listen with, was now laying in a private cemetery called the Elysian Garden._

_Wanda had become Vision's light, too. She was like a star, guiding his way through the complicated new world he had been thrust into. __He found everyone so difficult to talk to - as if talking itself wasn't hard already. Everyone, even Mr Stark, who should have been the most familiar with him after hearing his voice for years - always seemed to be uneasy around him. Wanda was different. She treated him like he was an equal. Like he was normal. Like he was human._

_"__And we're done. __Voila." Wanda tried and adorably failed to replicate a French accent, hints of Sokovian slipping through. "Here you go, Nat. Heads up."_

_"Thanks, kiddo.__" Natasha smirked, dropping the notebook to collect the coffee from midair. "You're getting better at this mind-moving stuff. Your French accent needs work, though. Faking any accent is a good skill to have."_

_"What for? She won't ever have to go under cover." Tony said, absent mindedly. "Besides, I'm sure she can use a Jedi mind-trick if she ever gets into trouble."_

_"Yes, and I can also throw you through that window, Stark." Wanda narrowed her eyes at Tony; he was getting on her nerves today. "__Right. Vizh, I'll let you make Tony's." __Wanda leaned on the kitchen counter, propping her chin on her hand to watch him make the coffee._

_Vision felt an enormous wave of pressure as her green eyes focused on him. His face felt warm__. Maybe there was a problem with his circuits..._

What was I doing? Oh, yes, coffee...

_Vision opened the cutlery drawer, picking up a piece of silverware. He saw a slight shift in Wanda's expression, but she didn't say anything, giving him time to realize his mistake. "Wrong one." Vision laughed nervously, putting the fork back and taking a teaspoon instead. _

_Wanda watched as he made a cup of coffee exactly the way she showed him. She tilted her head, admiring the vibranium inserts decorating his face and neck, the way he was so focused on the simple task of making coffee. _

_"Can I have sugar, please?" __Tony asked, as he moved around a few holographic panels on the new suit design._

_"Sugar. Right." Vision turned to the three cupboards, and Wanda did him a favour by opening the correct one with her mind. He saw a jar filled with white granules; that had to be it._

_He returned to the mug, taking out a heaping teaspoon. Wanda then read the label on the jar he had taken out. She opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. Instead, it formed into a beaming, not quite innocent smile. __"That's great." She grinned. _

_Vision stirred the coffee and carried it over. "Here you are, Mr. Stark."_

_"Thanks, buddy." Tony smiled, and he began gulping the coffee right away. There was a pause, and then his eyes widened. He began coughing and sputtering, slamming the mug into the table and spitting it out. Vision looked down at him in confusion and then back at Wanda to see what he did wrong, but she was laughing, clutching her side, as she turned the jar of white granules toward them all. _

_It was clearly labelled, 'Salt'._

_When Natasha read the words on the jar, she too began to laugh, head thrown back. Tony did not find it funny, wiping away the coffee dripping down his face and glowering at them all, but mainly Wanda, who was now running from the kitchen and into the hallway, shrieking with laughter._

_"I thought you had a sense of humour, Tony?" Nat laughed, as Tony began mopping up the spilt coffee. _

_Vision, very confused, followed Wanda down the hall. There she was, a huge grin plastered all over her face, still clutching her side. "I'm so sorry, Vizh. I should have told you it was salt, but... god, that was funny." The grin faded a bit. "I get it if you're annoyed with me."_

_"Annoyed?" Vision didn't know what was happening. His face muscles were twitching involuntarily. Wanda's eyebrow quirked. Was that a smile he was trying to hide? He was trying to stop it. She grinned again,__ lighting up her eyes which had been dark ever since Sokovia. He had never seen her smile like this. It was contagious. _

_In the living room, Tony and Natasha exchanged a curious expression at the sound of laughing, from both Wanda and Vision._

_"I haven't heard her laugh like that... well, ever. Or him, for that matter..." Natasha remarked. "Strange..."_

_Tony, still bitter, got up to make his own coffee. __"Weirdos." He muttered, as he switched on the kettle._


	34. Distractions

"Wanda, no."

"Sam, yes." Wanda looked through her wardrobe, trying to find something to wear. "I know it _sounds_ risky, but it really isn't." _It is risky, though. What if something happens?_

_Shut up._

She looked to her doorway where Sam was, and he was staring at her as if she had just grown wings. "Come on, it's perfectly safe. Nobody knew about his disguise apart from Stark and Rhodey."

"On his own no. But just imagine this. Someone spots you and takes a photo of you shopping with a random man... if that gets to the papers, they'll start speculating, then someone realizes he looks familiar, and with that mark on his forehead -"

"You're starting to sound like Nat. You don't think I've considered that? Of course I have. That is why I'm going to wear shades." She swiped Carol's aviators off her desk. "With me in these and Vizh in disguise, no one's going to know." She turned serious. "He needs freedom, and keeping him here, practically under house arrest... I don't want to go down that path again."

"You can't tell me you're totally fine with this?"

"No, I'm not, but this is about what's best for Vision. He needs to remember how to be normal again."

"Couldn't being normal wait until after the world knows he's alive?"

"And how long will that be?" Wanda stood firm despite her misgivings. "We're going at eleven - do you need anything?"

"Well, we're out of peanut butter, but still -"

"Great. Will do. Now, get out, I need to change." Wanda said, gently pushing Sam out of her room with her powers, and closing the door.

In the living room, Vision was reading by the glass wall, tucked into the right corner; Wanda's perch was on the left corner, and he didn't feel right sitting there on his own. He tried to focus on the book, but his eyes kept wandering to the glass wall and his reflection.

At first he had been excited to go outside, even if it was for the mundane task of grocery shopping - he hadn't left the compound since he arrived, and he was starting to feel a bit trapped. That was until his anxiety returned with a vengeance. He imagined strangers who would stare at his forehead, trying to decide whether it was a scar, bruise, or birthmark...

He prodded the stone and the rivers of foreign tissue, continuously shifting between his normal and human form as he attempted to hide it, wondering if he could extend his projection somehow to hide the damaged skin. He concentrated hard, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

"Hey, Vision." He jumped, not even hearing Bucky until he was standing a few feet away. "Sorry if I scared you. According to Sam I walk 'freakishly feline' without intending to. Programming is hard to shake."

"It's alright..." Vision shook himself, and Bucky sat down a few feet away.

"What are you reading?" Bucky asked, in curiosity.

"_Of Mice and Men."_

"Oh my god, I remember when that first came out -" He began, excitedly, before his voice faltered with sadness.

"I'm sorry..."

"No, it's just me... I miss the old days, when everything was simple. Even if the Great Depression sucked." Bucky smiled, fondly remembering standing in a bookshop in 1937, with a much smaller and more sickly Steve, as they looked at John Steinbeck's new book. "It's weird, isn't it? Waking up in a new world." He attempted to stir Vision's memory. "Do you remember when you were born?"

Vision found it curious that Bucky said 'born' instead of 'made', but he didn't correct him - it was nice. Wanda wasn't the only one who saw him as normal.

"You're referring to my initial creation in 2015?" Bucky nodded. Vision thought hard. "Wanda described it to me, but I don't see it in here." He tapped his temple. "Not yet. But do I remember when I came back."

"When the scientists brought you back?"

"Yes, there's a green light -" Vision frowned and there was a spark of panic in Bucky's blue eyes. "No. Wrong memory. I don't know how I confused that..." Bucky averted his gaze to hide his immense relief. "There's a table, and a scraping noise. And after that... chaos, before it darkens again."

"Sounds like my experience. Hydra, Siren, they're both the same. But at least they're gone now. You can move on."

He noticed Vision's gaze in the reflective window, how Vision's elbow was propped on his knee, his hand covering the mark on his forehead. "Moving on is hard though, when you live with a constant reminder." Vision gave a tiny nod, eyes flickering to Bucky's metal arm. "I heard you two are going out later. Grocery shopping?"

"Just to grab a few things. Is there something you require?"

"No, but I was wondering if you might want this." Bucky lifted a plain black baseball cap. "It might help with distracting people's attention from the mark. You might feel more comfortable."

Vision shifted into his human form and placed the cap on his head. It casted a shadow across his forehead, and while the mark was still visible, it wasn't as immediately obvious.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt." Sam peered round the doorway. "Buck, can I have a word?"

"Thank you, Bucky." Vision said, as the former Winter Soldier got up. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem, buddy."

Bucky went over to Sam, who pulled him into his room.

"They're going to the grocery store."

"I know, I just let Vision borrow my hat for it." Silence. A look of shock transformed Sam's face.

"You're okay with this?"

"He's not a prisoner. We can't keep him here, it's unfair."

"Buck, I'm pretty sure that there are cameramen camping at the grocery store. Every time one of us goes in there a picture ends up in the newspaper. _Every time."_

"I know..." Bucky then had a lightbulb moment. "Maybe there isn't anyone there, but we can run up there to be sure. And if there does turn out to be a camera, we can give it something else to look at..." Sam looked confused, while Bucky grinned. "Still got that shirt I got you a few weeks ago?"

* * *

Sam and Bucky had gone out jogging about half an hour before Wanda and Vision headed to the store. Wanda kept an eye out for them as they drove, but she didn't see them. She turned on the radio with her powers.

_"Up next, three years after it's release, it's the number one hit half of you missed - it's 'Lost Ashes' by The Missing. __Before that though, it has just been announced that a new statue is to be revealed next Friday in honour of the four dead -"_

Wanda quickly changed the channel. "Do you want to browse, Vizh? Please, anything but a news channel."

Vision reached for the car radio, hesitating, waiting for the remaining wisps of red to fade before touching it. Eventually - not surprisingly - he settled on a channel playing fifties hits. Wanda smiled, reminded of the music he used to love, times where they would playfully fight over the radio because of their vastly different tastes in music.

As they drove, Vision noticed that Wanda kept looking at him. "Is everything okay?"

"It's just weird, seeing you in a baseball cap. I don't think you've ever worn one. Your style was always a bit more refined." Vision chuckled, and Wanda was momentarily thrown; she had made him laugh. That was a first.

Vision watched the streets race by, trying to think of a conversation starter. He looked around the car, the outside, for inspiration. Driving didn't really feel familiar to him in the same way making a cup of tea did. "Could you drive before? When we were friends?"

"Not when we were friends. You did the driving, because it was safer for me." People always focused on the driver, not the passenger. "But I could drive. In an illegal self-taught way. Pietro and I would sometimes steal a car..." Well, Wanda had done it to get around, while Pietro did it for fun. Even when he drove he was speeding.

"Pietro?"

Wanda stiffened. Her grip had tightened on the steering wheel, her teeth clenched. Vision went back into safer territory, knowing that she didn't want to talk about it. "You stole a car?" He prompted, and Wanda relaxed, not quite ready to tell him about Pietro yet.

"Not a car. Several." She saw the shocked expression on Vision's face, and she laughed. "Don't look at me like that. You weren't exactly innocent." Wanda thought she was about to ruin the drive with her choice in words, but Vision didn't even wince. Instead, his eyes brightened, almost challenging her to come up evidence.

"How so?"

"You don't believe me? I may have borrowed cars, but you committed fraud. If we rented a car in Europe, you did the driving. With your fake ID. You'd fly out to me with a fake passport. At airports, driving, on your credit card - you pretended to be a guy called Victor Shade. Not only that, but you assisted a fugitive, too."

Vision shook his head. "I knew the whereabouts of a fugitive for two years and didn't tell anybody. To clarify - it was you?" Wanda shot him a look, but it wasn't a question. He averted his gaze with a chuckle. God, he was _joking_ with her now? This was weird. Sometimes his old self would emerge for a moment before retreating again.

"You were pretty reckless in those two years, Vizh."

"Would you say increasingly reckless?"

"Yeah." Wanda laughed, feeling a stab of sadness for once during the drive. _Love made you reckless. _"Increasingly."

* * *

Wanda hesitated with the door open, Sam's warning ringing in her ears. "Vizh - you can stay in the car if you want. I'll only be a couple of minutes."

"I would rather be with you." Vision pulled the cap further over his forehead. "If it helps, statistically speaking, those who wear dark colours tend not to be noticed. And we're both wearing dark colours..." Vision casually glanced toward the road, blinking. "Wanda..."

"I know... I'm probably just being paranoid..."

"Look." He touched her arm, and Wanda dropped her keys. She turned to see what he was looking at.

"Oh my god."

Sam and Bucky were jogging. They couldn't be any more obvious. Bucky had his hair down and he was wearing a vest, metal arm on full display. Sam was wearing a Captain America t-shirt. A man suddenly emerged from the parked cars, and began frantically following, a camera over his shoulder. Sam and Bucky disappeared round the corner, and the cameraman followed.

Wanda and Vision looked at one another, blinking.

"You know? I think we'll be fine." Wanda put on Carol's aviators.

"I agree." Vision checked one final time to make sure he looked human, before stepping out of the car.

* * *

"That was fun! We should try to outrun the paparazzi more often."

Sam and Bucky were laughing as they jogged around the corner and headed to the gate, which opened automatically when it recognised their faces. They had lost the man after about ten minutes, keeping in view and luring the cameraman away from the store. They'd scaled a wall and hid behind it, listening to the man wheeze and gasp for air as he finally stopped.

They slowed as they went down the tree-lined path.

"Let's hope that guy was the only one. But Wanda was right, you know - nobody's going to recognise Vision, mark or not." Bucky looked thoughtful. "I know taking Vision to Wakanda is out of the question at the moment. But d'you reckon that Banner could do something about that? Vision is always looking at his forehead in the mirror..."

"Hm... we could ask him, I guess, since he already knows... Helen Cho would probably be the best person, but then -" Sam then spotted something in the driveway, parked in front of the building. "Wait a minute. Who is that?"

They came closer, hoping that it might be Bruce or Rhodey, but both of them knew that neither of those people owned an ominous black vehicle. Someone was standing next to it, looking very impatient. "Oh, shit." Bucky said, under his breath.

Thaddeus Ross offered a displeased smile. "Mr Wilson, Mr Barnes. At last."


	35. Comfort

"How did you find your first grocery shopping trip?" Wanda asked, as they pulled onto the gravel outside the main doors to the compound. "I know, it wasn't very exciting... shopping never is."

Their trip had been relaxed, easy. It had felt nice, doing something so normal with Vision again, something so unimaginable a few weeks ago. It was quiet, nobody recognised them, probably thanks to Sam and Bucky - it was all anyone else shopping was talking about. It wasn't everyday Captain America went out jogging wearing his own merchandise, or the usually reserved Winter Soldier showed off his arm for the world to see. When would Vision be able to go outside, as his true self, without having to constantly look over his shoulder?

Vision stepped out of the car and onto the gravel. That was odd. The gravel outside the front door had been disturbed, with deep tyre marks. He didn't recall it being like that before they left... no, he was probably just over analysing.

"It was an interesting experience." He said, going round to the back of the car where she was reaching for the bags. "I can carry them all, if you like. I don't mind."

"There's five bags. I know you can, but that doesn't mean you have to." Wanda said, as all five bags floated out of the trunk. He pointed at the red cloud of hypocrisy as she locked the car.

"You're one to talk." He pointed out, and Wanda laughed. Vision felt a spark of warmth in his chest and in the stone; instead of burning, it warmed pleasantly.

They made their way up the stairs and to the kitchen, and Vision began to put some things away. Wanda was aware that she probably should be supervising this - she remembered the first year, where Vision had once put the butter in the freezer and the ice cream in the cupboard - but something felt off.

Why was she picking up an air of tension? She glanced at Vision, who was reading the back of a jar as he pulled it out of the bag. It wasn't tense between them.

"Where are they?" She mused. "I hope they didn't get into trouble with that photographer..." Vision looked up from the ktichen, seeing her wandering toward the hallway. "Sam, Bucky?" Wanda called out.

Vision followed Wanda down the hall. They got halfway when frantic footsteps began rushing toward them from around the corner. Bucky skidded to a stop in front of them, eyes blazing with panic.

_ "Hide!"_ He hissed, frantically. "General Ross is here!"

"Who?" Vision asked, oblivious. This name had a strange effect on Wanda. The colour drained from her face. Without a word, she threw open the door to the nearest room, pulling Vision inside. "What's wrong?" Wanda looked up at him through the gap in the partially closed door, eyes flooded with fear.

"This man is dangerous, believe me. He can't see you. Stay here until he leaves -"

"But I -"

"-Miss Maximoff, how nice to see you." Wanda stiffened, and shut the door without further explanation. Vision fell silent, hearing footsteps approaching. He already felt a change in the atmosphere, as it began to crackle with tension. He felt his own heart begin to sink with dread. He peered through the gap in the door, and saw a stern looking man with grey hair, dressed in a suit, with small, unfriendly eyes. The stone immediately twinged. _You know this person._

Wanda tried to keep her expression neutral as Thaddeus Ross approached, even though every cell in her body was recoiling in fear. Sam trailed behind, looking guilty.

_"What the hell is he doing here?"_ Wanda frantically whispered to his mind._ "Did he see us?"_

_"I don't think he knows, he was talking about a ceremony, we tried to text you..."_

_"My phone was on silent."_

_"Where's Vision?"_

_"He's in Carol's old room."_

Sam's gaze moved to the door, and his eyes widened a fraction. "Sir, why don't we take this to the conference room?"

"That's alright, this will only take a minute - Wilson, I forgot to mention. Nice shirt." Sam looked down at the tacky t shirt that mimicked the Captain America uniform.

"Yeah, all my other shirts are in the wash."

"All?"

"I... don't have many clothes."

Vision watched the awkward exchange, focusing on the man they called 'Ross'. He had known this man at one point, and not on friendly terms. The familiar way he walked into the room with his hands behind his back, how his smile was forced, how his cold gaze seared into everything it moved across, searching for faults and threats. This was someone he would rather not remember, someone who undoubtedly didn't like him. This man was the kind Wanda had warned him about.

Wanda's heart raced and her blood rushed through her ears, as Ross moved closer. She could see the shadow outlines of Vision's feet from underneath the door. Sensing that he was too close, Vision stepped backwards - bumping into a chair. He flinched as it scraped across the floor.

Ross looked immediately at the door. "It's probably just the cat." Bucky said, mildly. Ross moved closer toward them, and now he was standing directly in front of the door, unknowingly mere inches from Vision. Wanda's heart was in her mouth, as her mind worked around every possible scenario.

_"Hands,"_ Sam whispered under his breath; they were glowing without her realizing. She hastily pulled her sleeves down, feeling her hands burn as fiercely as her anger, which was slowly rising to compete with the fear.

Ross continued gruffly, not noticing the tension. "Two things. I'm here to ask a favour. There's a new memorial being built, a statue. It's going to be revealed on next Friday at a national park. I was hoping that all three of you would be at the opening ceremony, maybe say a few words. It seems as though everyone else has disappeared off the face of the earth. Everyone's either busy or ignoring my calls."

Wanda bit back a comment. _Who would want to answer a call from you or do you a favour, anyway? _

"Well - Bucky and I could." Sam said, looking to Bucky for back up, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Providing nothing comes up."

"What about you?" Ross turned to Wanda. "You've disappeared from the public eye for some time now. People are wondering where you are."

Wanda found this strange. If anything, Ross wouldn't want her there - in fact, all three of them were the last people he would ask, with their history. Hadn't he declared her 'dangerous and unstable' when he announced the kill-on-sight orders following the Raft outbreak? Wanda could only imagine that he was being forced to invite them.

"I'll have to see."

"I'm sure you have plenty of time on your hands."

"I said I'll see." Wanda said, forcibly. "Is that all?"

"Oh yes, one more thing." Ross' displeased smile disappeared. "Would you care to explain why the quinjet flew to Scotland and back three days ago?"

The silence was deafening. Bucky and Sam shifted uncomfortably. Behind the door, Vision had to stiffle a cry of pain, as the stone suddenly felt like a burning coal in his forehead. Wanda laughed nervously, heart like a lump of ice in her chest.

"How did you know that?" Wanda's tone immediately gave the game away.

"I thought it might be something to do with you. Is that where you were the other night, when the biggest bank in New York was being robbed? Edinburgh?"

"We had that under control, what does that matter?" Bucky challenged. "And how did you know about the jet?"

"What were you doing in Edinburgh? Again?" Ross demanded. "And why did you need the jet to do it?" Did he know about Vision? Was this some sort of cruel test before hundreds of soldiers flooded the compound and arrested them all? _Think of something!_

"If you must know, I took a break in Scotland, but I used the jet to come back."

"You don't look very well rested." _Thanks, _She thought, bitterly. "You took a jet that costed millions of US dollars to fly back from your weekend getaway?"

"It didn't cost the US anything. It was a gift from Wakanda. It's ours." Wanda's eyes hardened. "I needed a break. That's the reason. Besides, I don't think me leaving the country concerns you."

Wanda and Ross looked stiffly at one another. Her expression was neutral, but inside, she was furious, powers still surging to her fingertips; she didn't think her sleeves were going to hide it for much longer. Ross then asked an insensitive question.

"Why would you want to go back to Edinburgh after what happened there?"

The air crackled, but Wanda wasn't the only one who was angry. Behind the door, Vision felt his density increase without him meaning to, his fist clenched as a wave of anger rolled over him.

"Where I go is none of your business. There's no law saying I can't travel." Wanda said, coldly.

Ross looked at her, eyes narrowing a fraction as he analysed this answer. There was the jingle of a bell, as Goose padded down the hallway. His bouncy trot shifted to a stiff walk, as he sensed the tension, spotted the stranger. He settled himself by Wanda's foot. He pressed against her calf, ears flattened, bristling at Ross, who took a nervous step back.

"Are we done here, General Ross?" Sam asked, shifting to stand between him and the door. "Next Friday at noon. We'll be there."

Ross looked at each one of them in turn. "Alright, then." He said, gruffly. "I expect to see you all at the national park." He turned, and headed off down the corridor - as he passed, Goose hissed at him, and he almost tripped over trying to avoid him.

"Good flerken." Bucky muttered under his breath, hurrying after Ross. "I'll see you out." Goose slunk after them, hissing the entire time.

"Vision?" Sam croaked, after Ross and Sam's footsteps faded. "You can come out now."

The door handle turned slowly, and Vision poked his head out from Carol's empty room. All aggression from Goose disappeared as he trotted up to Vision, meowing happily as he bumped his head against his shoe in greeting.

"Who was he?" Vision asked, incredulously. "He made me feel uneasy..." That was an understatement. His synthetic heart was pounding and the stone was still burning, causing him to wince.

"Thaddeus Ross." Sam said, grimly. "That's the man who helped organise the Sokovia Accords."

Wanda hadn't said a word, but her eyes looked glazed, and her fingers were still glowing faintly. "I... I need a minute." She went down to her room, and shut the door. Vision looked after her in confusion.

"Why is she so afraid of him?" He looked at Sam, who had averted his gaze to the floor.

"I don't have the right to tell you. It's personal."

* * *

Wanda leaned against her cabinet, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. She dug her nails into the wooden surface, waiting for the wave of nausea to pass.

A door. A door had been the only thing between Ross and Vision. What if he had seen him? If Ross ever found out that they were hiding him, and what Vision had done...

Wanda hated to admit how afraid she was of him. On his own Ross wasn't a threat, or even directly responsible for the accords and the fallout. But to her, Ross represented the Raft. He was there. He had watched and stood by as all four of them wasted away in those cells. He heard her screams as the collar activated.

Did Ross feel even a little remorse? Did he ever think about what being in a place like that could do to someone's mind?

She hadn't seen him in the flesh since Tony's funeral. She had been so wrapped in her grief at the time that the sight of Ross from across Tony and Pepper's front yard didn't make her feel sick. So consumed in her new nightmare that she had forgotten the older one...

There was a soft knock at her door. "Wanda? Are you alright?"

She blinked rapidly. "I'm okay." She didn't know whether she wanted Vision to come in, but she didn't protest as she heard the turn of the door handle.

He stood there with a cup of tea. Strange - he always used to bring her tea when she was upset.

"I, um - made you this." His relief at seeing her was short lived. She looked tense and a little ill. The colour was taking it's time to return to her face, and her eyes had acquired that same glassy look they'd had in Edinburgh, as a terrible memory had her in it's grasp. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She brushed off his concern. "I'm fine. It was just a bit of a scare."

Vision was uncertain how much territory he could cross until she pushed him back. "Did he hurt you?"

Wanda stared into the tea. The old Vision knew everything. Was she ready to tell this one? "Not directly. But he was partly responsible."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now." She tried to change the subject. "We'll have to come up with a cover story soon, the sooner the world knows about you the better... if he had found you, it doesn't bear thinking about..."

"This isn't about me." Vision said. "Wanda, honestly. You don't have to tell me anything, but you seem shaken. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You already do enough just by being here." In an ideal world, Wanda would have liked a hug, but this wasn't such a world. "Seeing him so close to you... the thought of losing you again -"

Vision couldn't hear a word of what she was saying. All he could think about was how afraid she looked. Her eyes were starting to glisten with the beginning of tears, how her fingers glowed faintly with out of control magic, how the tea was shaking in her hands, so much so that she had to put it down.

Without thinking, Vision hugged her. He had his arms around her, and she was standing, frozen, against his chest. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere." He began to draw back when he felt Wanda tense. "I'm sorry, I thought it would help..."

She almost knocked the tea over as she hugged him back.

Vision held her, questioning whatever possessed him to hug her in the first place, but he didn't regret the decision for a moment. This felt nice, natural, melting the existing awkwardness. Wanda was small and warm in his arms, notes of sage lingering in her hair from her shower that morning. How could someone so powerful feel so soft, so delicate at the same time?

Wanda leaned into him, her cheek pressed against his chest. She could smell the fabric softener in his sweater, feel the reassuring murmur of his circuits, and the beat of his synthetic heart. It had been so long since they'd last held each other, she had forgotten how safe she felt in his arms.

"I missed you."


	36. Sleepless nights

Vision opened his eyes to darkness, and his heart sank with dread. _No. Not again..._

He was back. He wished this place would go away. It frightened him. It was dark and empty, all except for the hotel door with the antique lamps hanging on either side, with red, yellow and green light streaming out from underneath…. This must have been the fifth time he had dreamed of this cold, empty universe with the door.

There was something... slightly different about the door this time. The lights continued to glow from beneath, the unknown green, the familiar red and yellow, and the lamps still flickered. This time, the wood was scratched, the door handle more tarnished, and there was a crack in the mahogany surface.

Vision put two and two together, as he looked at the door. _This is the door to your memory._ He felt less frightened of it now, could feel invisible strings pulling him forward. The door was calling him. If he opened it... would he get his memory back?

As usual, Vision heard sounds coming from behind it. More of the same he'd heard before - the loud noises, shouting, shattering glass, explosions. Softer sounds, like whispers, rain, footsteps, movement of skin across fabric. He tried to listen, these softer sounds somehow more important to him. He heard Wanda's voice.

_"Why did you leave me?"_

_"Just hold me."_

_"I'm here. Always." _

Wanda had become his guide, the star to help him navigate dark seas. Everyday he would see a new island, offering him hope of reaching the mainland. Pieces of his life were returning, slotting together on their way to complete the jigsaw. But it was an agonisingly slow process, and Vision was growing impatient.

He was only remembering little things, and he was desperate for more. He wanted to know more than how to make tea, what books he used to like, how grocery shopping worked. He wanted to know the important things. He wanted to remember who he used to be. He wanted to remember Wanda.

Vision braced himself, and turned the shuddering handle. He couldn't believe it. After all this time, after a long, agonising wait -

It was locked.

_"Try remember this." _Vision whirled around, and for a fleeting moment, saw Josephine, standing there in a lab coat, a tazer in hand.

* * *

Vision's eyes flew open, and he sat up with such a force that he almost fell out of bed. He felt freezing, but the stone felt like it was on fire. He held his hand over it, waiting for the burning to pass. Eventually it did, and Vision could breathe again.

Goose was curled up by his feet, ear twitching occasionally. Vision had no idea why the flerken seemed to like him so much, but he was glad that Goose was there. He had no problem understanding why humans liked cats so much.

Vision slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Goose. He quietly paced for a few minutes, reducing his density so that nobody could hear him. He pressed his hands to his scalp. Why would the door exist, call to him, torment him with whispers of his past - just to be locked? He really wanted his memory back. He wanted his questions about himself – as well as Wanda – answered. He wanted to move on, forget Josephine...

Maybe he could ask Wanda about the dream. Maybe she could look into his head… not at 2.45am, though. Maybe tomorrow...

He certainly wasn't sleeping now. Vision found himself walking out of his room, as he headed down the hall to the kitchen and living room, thinking that his book could help him sleep once more. He came to a stop outside Wanda's room. He didn't like to invade her privacy - she had been adamant about him knocking before entering her bedroom - but he could hear something.

He poked his head through the slightly ajar door. Wanda was still asleep. Automatically he went to go, to leave her in peace, but then he heard her mutter something. One of her hands lay outstretched on her quilt, the fingers twitching and glowing faintly. The red light moved fluidly, and he noticed that the sleeve she was wearing was one with thumb-holes.

A random thought entered his head. _Wanda loved to wear sleeves with thumb-holes. She almost always wore them to bed. The only piece of white clothing she owned was a pyjama top with thumb-holes... _

"Help me..." Wanda muttered, eyelids flickering, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Vision felt a twinge of fear.

* * *

_"Leave her! Just stop!"_

Wanda could hear the desperate pleas of Clint, Sam and Scott, even as she convulsed on the cold metal floor. Her screams pierced through the air, eyes rolling into the back of her skull as she began to lose control over her body. She collapsed, eyelids flickering, hair full of static and smelling like smoke. Her throat was bleeding and felt like it were on fire. The metal prongs pierced her neck, feeling as though she were being stabbed repeatedly with fork.

A cloud of red was blooming across the straitjacket, as her wrist began to bleed again, more and more. For the first few hours she had struggled, desperately trying to free her arms, fighting and pulling until the straps cut into her wrist and made it bled. Every time they shocked her, it would reopen the wound.

Of course nobody would dare to give her medical attention - letting her out of the straitjacket was 'just too dangerous'. They were probably hoping she would die. It hurt. _Everything_ hurt... maybe it would just be easier to let go...

_What about the others? Steve, Nat, Sam, Clint - Vision? _Why did he leave her? Did he see the soldiers storm the airfield, shooting her with guns loaded with sedatives until she fell unconscious? Did he know where she was, did he care?

_"Wanda!"_ Cried Clint. _"It's going to be okay! I promise!"_

_It is going to be okay. _Wanda heard another voice, but it was inside her head. It was Pietro's. _Don't let go._ One winter in Sokovia had been so brutal, they almost froze to death one night. They had huddled in an abandoned building, Wanda whispering how cold she was, the tears on her face beginning to freeze.

Pietro had hugged her tight, telling her over and over:_ "You're not done yet. You're going to make it. Just keep fighting."_

Wanda forced her knees to move, planting her feet into the floor. She slid to sit up, rising her eyes to the glass of the cell wall. She stared down the guard, who stood there, remote in his hand, wearing a sadistic grin. His thumb hovered over the red button. She glowered at him. _Do it. I dare you._

The guard pressed the button again, and she collapsed to the ground once more.

Sam was screaming at the cameras above him_. "You pieces of shit!" _He began hitting the walls, and then he was trashing his cell, kicking at the bed, slamming himself into the door. At last, the guard dropped the remote and ran toward Sam, and then more guards were flooding the room, yelling, and then they were entering his cell, trying to restrain him.

Her vision was blurring and darkening. Then history no longer made sense, as something from the present entered. A dark figure manifested behind the bars of her cell, staring at her like she was an animal in a cage. The mask lit up, the green lines forming a maniacal smile, a syringe in her gloved hand.

* * *

Wanda cried out, sitting bolt upright with a gasp. Struggling to breathe, she looked around the room, expecting to see Josephine standing there, but her room was empty. She covered her face with both hands. _It's just a dream... it's in the past. Josephine's not real, she wasn't there... _A tear fell down her face, and Wanda brushed it away, screwing her eyes closed to stop anymore.

She instinctively looked around for Goose, but the flerken was absent. He normally liked sleeping in her bed, but he would sometimes change his mind and wander into Sam or Bucky's rooms in the middle of the night. Vision's arrival added more to the competition. Speaking of Vision... she sighed, running a hand over her messy hair.

"I can feel you, Vizh." There was silence, and after a moment, Vision stepped through the wall, a look of guilt plastered all over his face. He opened his mouth to apologise, but she held up a hand. "Don't. It's okay."

"I didn't mean to snoop."

"It's alright." Wanda switched on her salt lamp, gesturing for him to sit. Vision, ever the gent, sat in her desk chair as opposed to her bed. "How long were you listening to me for?"

"I was worried." Vision said, sincerely. "You were having a bad dream. I didn't know whether to wake you or not. I just happened to be walking by your room and I heard you talking."

"What was I saying?"

"I couldn't hear the words." Even though Vision had heard her say, clear as day, 'help me'. Wanda hugged her knees.

"I struggle to sleep as it is... but it's hard. It's like my mind punishes me for falling asleep..." Wanda unhooked her thumb from the hole in her sleeve, sweeping it across the light scar on her wrist. She remembered her dream, how the straitjacket had cut into her wrist until it bled.

"Since Ross?"

"Him being here reminded me of something." Wanda thought about telling him, but she didn't want to talk about the Raft, ever again. "Why were you awake, anyway?"

Vision hesitated, considering telling her. "I had one too, actually... a bad dream. The same one I've been having recently."

"The same one? Do you want to talk about it?"

_So much. I want to tell you everything... _"This may sound strange. But I keep seeing a door."

"A door?" Wanda frowned. "What does it look like?"

"I think it's a hotel door. It's mahogany, it's got two lamps hanging on either side, and it has a number on it. I hear things from inside it. Voices, random sounds. I don't know why it's a hotel door..."

"Hm." Wanda fiddled with her sleeve. "We did stay in a lot of hotels while we were together. In Europe," she added on, quickly.

"That does make sense." Vision nodded. "I think... it's the doorway to my memory, and if I open it, I'll get it back."

Wanda's heart thudded. "What if it's just..."

"It's more than a dream." Vision leaned forward. "I tried to open it, but it was locked. Could you look? Try to find it?"

"...Are you sure?"

Vision turned his face toward her, nodding. She scooched to the side of her bed, and he moved closer in the desk chair. She hesitated, lifting her hand, reaching for the unfamiliar stone. It glowed softly in the amber light of the salt lamp. She remembered Josephine's notes saying something about solar energy. Maybe that made it weaker than the Mind stone... what if she hurt him?

Wanda dropped her hand. "You don't want me inside your head."

"Please, Wanda." Vision took her hand, placed it directly on the stone. She hesitated, feeling her magic recoil. It didn't want to go back in there, not after what happened last time. She met his eyes, mechanical blue irises filled with pleading. "Please, look for my memories."

Wanda tried to ignore every image of Wakanda that came to mind. She braced herself, and filtered a weak tendril of energy into the stone. She looked, but... there was nothing. Nothing but Vision, as he was now, and only a little of who he used to be. She searched for his mind, but she may as well have be fumbling around in a dark room, searching for a light switch that didn't exist.

_Josephine said she saw his memories, and she knew too much to lie. __Maybe you're just not looking hard enough..._ the red light glowed brighter, and Wanda saw a few hazy images, like a mirage in a desert. Something was pushing her back, resisting, but Vision wasn't shutting her out. He had never been more open to her.

"I can't see them." She murmured.

"Keep looking..."

Vision studied her face as she concentrated. Her eyes were closed, brow furrowed. He found himself less occupied on his memory and more on the intricate details of her face; the shape of her eyes, mouth, the wisps of hair falling out of her braid. _Stop it. You're friends. You're not supposed to notice these things..._ He looked away from her face, but in the process of moving his gaze, it went to her exposed neck. There was a dark, sunken scar on the side of her throat.

Vision gasped as the stone twinged sharply, but Wanda snatched her hand back as if he were a thousand degrees. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" She sounded frantic, eyes round with fear.

"No, no, it's alright... it wasn't you. It happens sometimes. Did you see anything?"

"No. It's like it's... blocked. Like there's a barrier." Her voice thickened. "I'm sorry, Vizh."

"Nevermind." Vision tried to hide his disappointment. "Maybe another time."

* * *

Both Wanda and Vision tried to go back to bed. They tossed and turned in their rooms for about twenty minutes; Goose got so annoyed with Vision's unrest that he got up and slunk into Bucky's room, while Wanda stared up at the ceiling. She worried about her dream, Vision worried about the scar on her neck.

Eventually, Wanda accepted that she wasn't sleeping tonight. She caved, pulling on her dressing gown over her pyjamas. On her way out, she bumped into Vision in the hall. "Can't sleep either?"

"Not at all." He shook his head. "Do you..." Vision lifted his eyes. "Do you want to play a game of chess?"

At 3.30am? She smiled. "Sure."

Vision retrieved the chess set from his room, and they sat on the seating by the glass wall, the board between them, the moonlight as their light source. "It's been so long since we played." Wanda remarked, fondly. "You remember the rules?"

"Yes. White moves first, so that would be me..." Vision nodded. The corner of his mouth curved upwards, as he lifted one of the white pawns forward. "No cheating this time."

Wanda smirked, moving a black pawn forward. "Promise."


	37. Reignited passions

_**Little bonus right here; I should've put this at the end of the last chapter, but it only just came to me. :)**_

"Um..." Wanda ran a hand through her hair, blinking hard, leaning her chin on her hand. She tried to hold back a yawn, but Vision could tell that she was getting tired.

"Do you want to go back to bed? We can continue this tomorrow..."

"No, no, let's finish this..." Wanda knocked over Vision's white knight. Despite this small victory, she was starting to lose, with her queen and king being her only remaining pieces. She fought to stay awake. She loved this, she had missed little moments like this - she didn't want to miss anything with Vision...

"Checkmate." Vision finally knocked over her king; he won. He glanced up at her. Her head had fallen back against the glass wall, her eyes closed - his heart softened. "Wanda," he said, gently, but she didn't respond. He shook his head and sighed. The position she was in looked uncomfortable. She would regret sleeping like that tomorrow... maybe he could carry her back to her room?

Vision quickly abandoned that idea. That seemed too personal. Too...

_"You're warm." _He heard her sleepy voice in his mind. He remembered picking her from a couch of a hotel room. He had been holding her in his arms, carrying her to bed. He remembered the way she burrowed into him, her head tucked under his chin, her hand curled around the neckline of his pyjama top.

Vision placed a blanket over her, and went back to bed.

* * *

"It's here somewhere, I know it is."

Sam rummaged through the quinjet, looking under seats, by the controls, around the windscreen. He climbed up of the emergency hatch, out onto the roof where Bucky was. "Nothing in there. Anything up here?"

"Nope." Bucky paced back over the roof. "Are you sure? Surely we would have seen someone go near the jet."

"We go out all the time. I bet Ross paid the lawn maintenance guy to stick a tracker on it... Vision, anything?" Sam knocked on the side of the jet.

Vision was inside the engine, density reduced all over, as he looked at the complicated wires and panels, trying to spot an anomaly. "Not yet."

Everything about the jet, even the internal wiring, was sleek and refined, so a tracking device from an outsider should stick out like Vision's natural form in a crowd. It had to be very small... or maybe he wasn't looking hard enough. It was hard to focus when the only thing his mind would concentrate on was his and Wanda's late night game of chess, and that tiny memory of her snuggled in his arms, so close...

"What are you guys doing?"

Vision felt his circuits fire faster as he heard Wanda's voice through the metal walls.

"We're looking for a tracker. Would you mind checking out the wings?" Sam asked.

"Alright, I'll have a look. Where's -" Vision stepped out from the engine, making Wanda jump; she almost spilled the coffee she was carrying, but managed to save it. "Hey, you."

"Morning, Wanda... how did you sleep?"

"Better... did you put a blanket on me last night?"

"I did. I didn't want to disturb you, so I hope that was okay..."

"Of course it's okay. That was sweet of you." She gave him a tired but happy smile, touching his elbow as she passed - th end he felt the urge to look up. Sam and Bucky were poking their heads over the roof like two curious children. They immediately pretended to be inspecting the roof edge instead.

Wanda gave them a look and went to the wing, squinting, massaging her temples.

"Are you alright?" Vision asked, in concern.

"I'm fine... just a bit of a headache." Playing chess at 4am was probably the guilty suspect, but Wanda didn't regret it. Despite the fog in her head, she felt happy. Happier than she had in months...

Bucky leaned over the roof. "Me and Sam need to get some new clothes for the ceremony on Friday. Do you guys want to come with us?"

"I'll see how my head is later." Wanda said, although she was thinking about the prospect of having the compound to herself, and she felt like having some alone time. She thought about Vision; would it be safe for him to go? _You can't wrap him in cotton wool..._

"What about you, Vision?" Sam asked, apparently less apprehensive about going out in public now. Vision was unsure. He wanted to go, but that would mean Wanda would be by herself... "Reminds me, Wanda. Are you coming to the statue unveiling? We could use your support..."

"I, uh... I'm not sure." Wanda certainly didn't want to go to some ceremony celebrating her dead teammates - she would be standing there having to pretend that Vision was still dead...

The little demon reappeared, whispering in her ear. _You won't have to pretend. The Vision they'll be commemorating is still dead._

Before Wanda could react, her grasp on the coffee had loosened. The mug smashed to the floor and shattered to pieces. Vision whirled round, and Sam and Bucky lurched over the roof.

"You okay?" Bucky asked.

"Fine, fine, it just slipped through my fingers... clumsy me..."

* * *

They had no luck finding the tracker, but they all agreed to look for it again later. Vision had decided to go with Sam and Bucky when Wanda dropped a hint about wanting some time to herself.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with?" Sam hesitated at the stairs, taking his car keys from a hook on the wall.

"I'll be fine, I just need to nurse this headache. Promise me you'll look after Vision?"

"No problem, he'll be absolutely fine. We'll keep an eye on him. Alright, I'm starting the car! If we wanna beat the traffic we should go now!" Sam ran down the stairs.

Bucky hurried out, struggling into a jacket and gloves. "Stupid - sleeve -" he muttered, as his metal arm caught somewhere inside the jacket. He hastily tied his hair back and grabbed some sunglasses. "See you, Wanda!"

Vision emerged last, going over to her. He was in his human form with the black baseball cap pulled over his face. "Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" He hated to see her in discomfort, and it didn't sit well with him to leave her here. But then, they couldn't be with each other all the time... sometimes they would have to be apart.

Wanda shook a packet of painkillers and offered a smile, although her head was really starting to pound. "Once this kicks in, I'll be fine. You three be careful. Anything happens, call me."

Vision hesitated. "Alright. I hope you feel better soon." He reached to cover her hand, his fingers resting over her knuckles. Their hands touched for longer than either of them intended. Then Bucky called up the stairs, and Vision pulled away.

Wanda watched Sam drive away, seeing Vision twist in the backseat and look back at her. She waved until they disappeared from view, before dropping onto the sofa, waiting for the headache to pass. Her eyes slipped shut.

* * *

Wanda woke an hour later, woken by the familiar beeping noise from the hologram call room. She stuck her head inside the room, and the holographic screen showed a message.

_Voice recording for WANDA MAXIMOFF from CAROL DANVERS. _

Wanda ran to open the recording, sitting herself down at the desk to listen.

_"Hey, sis. I wanted to talk to you face to face, but it's a little crazy out here at the moment. As in, I might call you and there might be a bomb dropped in the middle of our conversation, and I wouldn't want to worry you - I'm joking! But you get the idea." _Wanda rolled her eyes and chuckled. _"The guardians are telling me to hurry up as I record this, so I'll have to keep this short. We're safe, so don't worry. _

_I just wanted to know how you're doing. I do worry about you, please don't take that in a negative way. I know you're a big girl, you can take care of yourself and everyone, but this must be a hard time for you. __The boys didn't want me to tell you, but they sent me a message a few days ago, telling me everything that's gone down since I left. It sounds crazy, but - it's great, right! He's back and he's himself, more than ever... _

_ It must be good to have him home with you - and difficult. To see anyone you love struggle is one of the toughest things... I'm not helping, am I? What I'm trying to say is, everything will be okay, and don't worry. You're both strong. You'll get through it together - I know you will. _

_I wish I could tell you more, but I have to go - a Kree warship just entered the planet's atmosphere. As soon as things are calm out here, I'll come see you all, and we can all kick some ass together. Take care of yourself, and remember you're not alone. Love you, girl."_

* * *

Wanda did everything quickly nowadays. There was little care or patience - a shower was a quick scrub of shampoo and meals were simple and the same every week. Hearing Carol's voice again seemed to awaken her dormant passion.

She took a bath, taking time to wash her hair this time, the remains of her headache easing away. She wrapped her hair in a towel and put on comfortable clothes, smudging some dark shadow across her eyelids, before going about making breakfast, which had been forgotten over the last few months. She had a craving for blueberry pancakes...

Her eyes strayed over the kitchen counter, across the spice jars and recipe books, the _New York Times,_ which Goose hadn't destroyed yet. The headline was about the ceremony on Friday.

It was just a statue unveiling. She wouldn't have to say anything, she would just have to show up... _Alright, I'll go. To support Sam and Bucky._ It would appease Ross and make the magazines stop speculating about her disappearance. There was a slight problem, though. Would Vision be okay at the compound by himself? Bringing him along was out of the question, but she didn't like the idea of him being at the compound by himself...

_It's one day. What could go wrong?_

When Wanda had made and eaten her pancakes, she went back to her bedroom in search of something to do. She picked up a book and quickly lost interest; she rolled out her yoga mat and then put it away again. Her eyes scanned the room and stopped when they landed on her guitar. It sat there, untouched since they retrieved their belongings from the basement.

She picked it up, running her fingertips down the strands. It had been years since she played. She hadn't felt the urge to play music again for a long time... could she even remember how? She set it in her lap, trying to remember how to play it, what song to try. There was one she knew how to play, that also held a special place in her memory...

Wanda began to pluck the strings, humming the song under her breath. She and Vision frequently disagreed over music. There was one song that they could both agree on...

* * *

"Stars shining bright above you... night breezes seem to whisper, 'I love you'. Birds singing in the sycamore tree... dream a little dream of me."

_They slowly circled the hotel room, swaying to the velvety voice of Ella Fitzgerald. _

_ Wanda held his right hand in her left, leaning into Vision's chest. He held her li__ke the moon held onto the tide, his jaw tucked against her crown, lips pressed into her hair._

_This feeling had scared them both at first. Vision worried that coming to see her would put her in danger, also fearful that their strange relationship wouldn't work. __Wanda didn't care about the risk. She couldn't get Vision out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. He was all she could think about in the Raft prison, all she could think about whenever they were apart. _

_They both fell hard, and quickly. Their visits had been platonic for a mere two months. She tried to deny her feelings at first__, while Vision wasn't even sure what his meant.__ H__e was so easy to fall in love with... he was so kind, gentle, innocent. __She loved him with every inch of her soul._

"Just hold me right and tell me, you'll miss me..."

_"I thought you didn't like music like this?" Vision said, with a soft smile, turning her under his arm._

_"It's kind of growing on me. And I like this song. I can play it on my guitar... well... I could." Wanda felt a little pang of sadness, aware that her guitar was collecting dust in a basement across the world... which reminded her... her__ forehead crinkled as she frowned, and then she broke their dance to hug him. _

_"What's this?" Vision asked, gently, thumbs gently brushing at the tears. _

_ "I don't want you to go." Wanda whispered. _

_He cradled her face in his hands, and she felt them tremble slightly. The look on his face said it all. "And I don't want to leave. E__ach goodbye gets harder... __I'll try come back as soon as I can. I'll be thinking of you the whole time I'm away."_

"I'm longing to linger on till dawn, dear... just saying this..."

_He__ tipped his head forward, and she reached to connect their foreheads, their noses brushing, the mind stone warm against her skin. "One day," he began, softly. "Something will happen, and you can come out of hiding. You'll be allowed to walk the streets as yourself and so will I. __You can come home... or I can stay here with you... we__ can go wherever you want. We won't have to hide."_

_"I like your optimism. I want to believe that." Wanda murmured, reaching to cover his hands, which were still holding her face. "Until then... I'm just happy to have you with me. I love you, and I don't want to lose you.__"_

_"You'll never lose me." He s__oftly placed his lips over hers. _

"Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you. Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you. But in your dreams, whatever they be... dream a little dream of me."

* * *

_Don't cry._ The guitar fell silent as Wanda finished the song. She dropped the instrument, and sat quietly in her room. She pushed down the tears, forcing them back into a bottle.


	38. Unspoken

The laboratory was scattered with various objects. A board covered in photographs and articles; there was a glass case on the wall containing a very specific spear. It was still stained with alien blood, pieces of the metal missing for somebody had been cutting pieces from it. The single lamp lighting up the room was hung above a figure in a familiar black trench coat, as she sat at a desk. She was wearing glasses now, making her eyes appear larger, like polished river stones.

A dark-skinned woman stood a few feet away, shuffling through the assorted pieces of paper, a look of concern on her face as she looked from the images to Josephine, to the microscope and the prices of sample glass. Josephine barely acknowledged her, as she slid a piece of glass under the microscope, pressing her eye to the magnifier.

"You need sleep." Said the dark-skinned woman.

Josephine ignored her, picking up a syringe filled with red. "Pass me another, Cara."

"That was the last one."

Josephine slammed down the syringe rather quickly - there was an audible chink as the glass syringe connected with the metal of her ring. "I need more."

"You need to focus on the mission." Cara motioned with her eyes to a small pile of metal and wiring that lay untouched in the table; it was arranged in a collar shape. "Not this dead end."

Josephine emitted a hollow laugh. "We lost the android. The mission is over. Their new plan is crazy, I never should have suggested it. It'll only make things messy."

"Your plans aren't exactly sane, Josephine." Cara grew less concerned and more irritated. "You shouldn't have confronted those people alone. You lost our most expensive asset ever and half of Siren because you wanted to make a point."

"Didn't I deserve to make a point?" There was a pause as Josephine and Cara looked stiffly at one another. Josephine twisted the ring around her finger, eyes seeming less dry by the moment.

"Of course you did. No one could blame you, after what happened..." Cara assured her. "What's left of Siren is planning the next move, and we're running short on time. Come with me to the new hideout, finish the device, and..."

"What's in it for me?"

"You get first shot at killing the witch."

* * *

Away from the dark lab, it was a bright, brisk day in New York city. Bucky was trying on some clothes in the fitting room, while Sam and Vision stood by a rack of sweaters.

"Honestly, it's unnecessary. I don't need - you don't have to spend your money on -"

"Come on, I don't think I've ever bought you anything in your life! And that is looking a bit worse for wear." Sam tugged disapprovingly at Vision's sleeve, which was coming undone. "Stark bought you that nearly three years ago.. technically eight... anyway. Ah, look, this is your size, and you always had an affinity for blue..."

Sam tried to distract him from the fact that he was sneaking more clothes in Vision's size into the basket. "About Friday... if Wanda decides to come to the ceremony with us, would you be alright staying at the compound by yourself?"

Wanda had told Sam a lot about Vision, during their time as fugitives and after they were both restored to existence. Sam remembered how on edge she seemed whenever she was staying with him, Natasha and Steve in one of their hideaways, which usually meant vacant buildings or shabby motels. She was always worrying about Vision.

_"I'm sure he's fine. He's not by himself."_

_ "He might as well be. Rhodes spends most of his time working on his legs, but they're not exactly comfortable around each other. And when Stark isn't being a workaholic shut in, he's on the phone trying to sweet-talk Pepper back into his lfie. Neither of them realize that Vision gets lonely."_

Sam remembered that exact conversation, how Natasha had made a sarcastic comment about them eloping together. Wanda hadn't responded, but a faraway look entered her eyes and she had smiled slightly; almost like she were daydreaming about it.

"On my own?" Vision asked. "Why don't I come with you? I could just watch from afar in this form... "

"I think it's a little too risky. In public, so many cameras, Ross will be there too... sorry."

Vision understood what Sam was thinking, but he couldn't help but feel concerned about what was happening on Friday. He wasn't concerned about being alone - he'd managed just fine for two weeks in Edinburgh. "This ceremony you speak of... could there be danger? I seem to remember the Avengers being unpopular..."

"You remember correctly. There were protests after what went down in Sokovia, and Lagos caused a resurgence of those protests... do you remember Lagos?"

"Well..." Vision concentrated. "Not really. My main concern is that it could be a target. And Wanda isn't comfortable in public spaces where there are a lot of cameras."

"I know you care about her and have her interests at heart, but you don't need to worry about her. She's one of the strongest people I know. How do you know that, anyway? Did she tell you?"

"I'm not sure how I know, to be honest. I just know."

Sam looked at Vision, wondering just how much he really knew. He decided to try and awaken some of Vision's memories.

"Don't tell Wanda I told you. I know she thinks it's better if you remember things on your own, but telling you these things might jog your memory. I remember a public event we went to. Me, you, Rhodey and her were supposed to walk out in front of the world's media, introducing us as the new Avengers, as such."

"She was very anxious. You were the one who reassured her, mostly with some copy-pasted anxiety advice from the internet, but I think it was more than that. You two always had good rapor. You were comfortable around one another, more than you were with any of us. She was still raw, after Pietro, but you really -"

Vision suddenly felt like someone had dropped a tonne of bricks over his head. The dream he had, of Wanda putting a box in the lake... it all came flooding back, of the first year, where Wanda was quiet and secluded, rarely leaving her room. Only eating because the others forced her to. Times where she would be fine one moment and then angry or crying the next. She had eased out of it, before falling back into this pattern in Europe, for another reason.

"How could I forget Pietro?" He exclaimed, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. "How could I not remember something so important to her?"

"To be fair, you didn't know him very long, and Wanda doesn't like to talk about him too much. Poor kid... maybe mention him to her later, she'll be thrilled that you remember him. But seriously, don't worry about the ceremony. She's fine in front of crowds now. She doesn't like it, but she tolerates it. Ask her yourself."

Vision questioned himself. Was it really crowds and Wanda's comfort level? Or was he truly worried that something was going to go wrong?

* * *

Vision softly knocked on Wanda's door, quietly opening it. She lay in her bed, her back to him. He saw her guitar laying on the floor, how she was hugging a pillow, staring at pictures on her wall. She jolted to sit up when she noticed him. As he had realized in the last week, Wanda normally sensed him coming - she must have been very distracted.

"Hi." She greeted. "How was your trip?"

"It seems that Sam is too generous." Vision said, putting a heavy bag down in the hallway. "He insisted."

"Show me. I'll evaluate his fashion choices." Vision reached for the bag, but it was already floating toward her in a cloud of red.

"You're amazing." He said, without thinking. "Your powers are amazing," he corrected. Wanda's cheeks tinged pink, as she began looking through the clothes.

"Not bad. I never thought he had good taste in clothes... now this one is nice." She lifted a midnight blue sweater. "I remember," She chuckled. "We'd go shopping for clothes in Europe. Stark gave you a credit card linked to his account, thinking you'd never use it. Big mistake. No cheap polyester shirts for you..."

"I remember Pietro." Wanda looked up sharply. Vision didn't think that she would be, in Sam's words, 'thrilled'. "I'm sorry I didn't remember him sooner. I tried..."

"Don't apologise! That's fantastic. Your memory is coming back, piece by piece!" Her voice lifted joyfully before it faltered. "I miss him." A shelf on the wall illuminated red, and a faded photograph floated to her. It had been propped against a jar that contained a an old, dried flower; it had once been a white rose, now shrivelled and yellowed by years.

Wanda showed him the photo, holding it as if it were a priceless artefact, and now Vision remembered, it was to her. "When you found me in Europe for the first time, you brought me a bag of my belongings. Some of my clothes, my jewellery... and this photograph. Good thing too, because I was angry at you..."

"Why were you angry at me?" Vision asked, puzzled. Wanda didn't take her eyes off the photo. She pushed away the demon as it whispered into her head.

_You're still angry, a__nd he has no idea why... no. __It's not his fault he doesn't remember Wakanda..._

"You did nothing wrong. I was just hurt. People say things they don't mean when they're hurt." Vision thought back to when he entered the room.

"You seem... tense. Were you thinking about Pietro before we came back?"

Wanda looked back at the guitar on the floor. "Something else."

* * *

Vision was to learn what was truly bothering Wanda. For now, his dreams brought him another piece of the jigsaw.

_"Shall we head back?" Natasha asked, gently, trying to steer Wanda away from the mound of earth covered in white roses, but she refused to move. __Black umbrellas moved away as the rest of the team began to leave the cemetery. She looked at Clint with uncertainty, who beckoned her away._

_"Give her a moment."_

_Natasha and Clint walked away, failing to notice that Vision was still there, standing a few metres from Wanda, not feeling right to leave her there. She looked coldly over her shoulder at him, mascara running down her face in the rain. Instead of telling him to go away, she seemed exhausted, too tired to make him leave._

_"He's in the ground because of me."_

_"That's not true, Miss Maximoff. You were both manipulated by Ultron... your brother made his own choices and decisions that influenced his... I__'m sorry. I did not mean to sound harsh. I'm still working on my lexical choices, how I appear to others..."_

_"For a start, Vision. Most people don't say 'lexical choices'. They say 'words'. And for another, you can call me Wanda." She__ cradled the __white rose she had taken from the bunch of flowers laying on the coffin. __"It was just me and him for so long. He was always there. And now he's gone, forever."_

_Vision's brain went to spout some researched advice on grieving, as he had done so in the days following Sokovia. He realized that this might not be what Wanda needed. __"He was very brave. Your brother died a hero. He's not gone... "_

_"He shouldn't have died. He should be here..." __Her voice shook. __"It wasn't supposed to be like this. I feel so alone."_

_Vision moved closer to her, lifting his umbrella to protect her from the rain._

_"You're not alone." _


	39. Closer

Wanda struck the hanging punching bag. A pair of boxing gloves lay discarded on the floor, her hands bare and clenched and surrounded by red energy as she hit it over and over, using her powers as gloves.

Some metal music was blaring in the background, but despite this, 'Dream A Little Dream of Me' was stuck in her head, and it came hand-in-hand with the memory of their dance. Slowly swaying around their dimly lit room, about eight months after the Raft prison, while the music played...

It didn't just hurt. It _frustrated_ her. That stubborn demon held on, sinking in it's barb-like claws. _He doesn't know who you are. He doesn't know what you've been through._

_He will. You're being unfair, you need to give him time. __It's not his fault... he didn't know about the time stone... _Wanda hit the bag harder. This had been a lurking underthought ever since she had discovered he was alive, slowly emerging from the depths. She refused to let it breathe, pinning it under the surface, hoping it would drown.

With the music blaring and the adrenaline coursing through her, she didn't notice Vision enter the gym room. He wanted to talk to Wanda, know how she was feeling about the statue unveiling tomorrow. Sam's reassurances hadn't really helped, especially when he had noticed that she had been acting a little oddly, starting from when she had lost her grip on the coffee mug yesterday morning. She seemed distant and tense, but he thought that she was just nervous about the statue unveiling.

In remembering Pietro, he remembered Sokovia more, more about Wanda growing up in a war-torn state with only her brother after their parents died, only for him to die too. Such things suggested a lot about her psyche... maybe she was a little more damaged than she tried to appear. In one day, he felt a growing, almost overwhelming urge to protect her.

Wanda still didn't notice him, continuing her assault of the bag. She was giving it a real beating, her magic glowing brighter, her punches rapid and vicious. Vision flinched; he wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of her punch. Suddenly, the bag split, sand flying across the training room. She cursed and kicked the stand, before flopping down to sit on the floor, holding her head in her hands. Vision, admittedly, was a little afraid to reveal his presence.

"I didn't mean to intrude..." She whirled round, beads of sweat rolling down her face, hair wet against her forehead. She drew her sleeve across her face, as if trying to appear more presentable.

"It's fine." Wanda took a swig from her water bottle.

"Impressive." Vision said, gesturing toward the split punching bag. She laughed half-heartedly. "Are you alright? You've been..." He chose his words carefully. "Distracted."

"I'm fine."

_I know you're not_. He didn't think this was about Pietro - she had been overjoyed when she heard that he remembered him. This was about something else. "You can talk to me about it..."

"I said I'm fine." Wanda almost snapped, looking at the pile of sand and the torn punching bag. The air briefly simmered with tension, but it didn't last long. "I didn't mean to snap. I guess I'm worried about tomorrow... I hate public events..." It wasn't untrue - she regretted agreeing to go. "You'll be alright here, won't you?"

"I'll manage. But... " All three of them made it crystal clear that him going was out of the question, but Vision wanted to go. He had calculated the risks and knew that he shouldn't - but he had this bad feeling that something might go wrong. The stone was stinging more than usual, to add to the sinking feeling in his chest. "Couldn't I just watch from a distance?"

"There'll be cameras everywhere, the public... why do you want to go, anyway?"

"I'm concerned. If something goes wrong, I could help..."

"Why would something go wrong?" She asked, a little tensely.

"I don't know. I'm just taking all the different outcomes into consideration."

Wanda's brow furrowed and she looked at the floor. He had managed over a week in Edinburgh on his own, fresh off the mayhem of the unstable bunker... maybe he could... no, no way. She firmly shook her head.

"I know you're capable of being in public by yourself. I trust you. But this is different, and anything could happen. If you're exposed, everything we've done could be for nothing. All that effort and time... for nothing." Her eyes glazed with a secret pain. "If something happens, we'll deal with it. It'll be fine. Please, stay here, where you're safe. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Alright. I'll stay behind." Vision went to say 'I promise', but he never made a promise unless he intended to keep it. He was still on the fence...

* * *

"We're off out." Sam announced that evening.

_"Another_ run?" Vision asked, puzzled. "That's your third one today-"

"Yes." Bucky proclaimed. "See you two later!" He and Sam skipped down the stairs. Wanda knew exactly what they were doing. Throughout the week, she had noticed that the two of them were disappearing more and more, going on more runs together. They kept claiming they they wanted to get fitter; but she had overheard them forming plans to get her and Vision to spend more time together.

Wanda tried to think of something she and Vision hadn't done, something that would distract her especially. Grocery shopping, chess, books, music, all things they had delved into... had Vision seen a movie with them yet? The last time she had seen one was when Carol was still here, and they'd had Chinese food and watched _Jurassic Park..._

Minutes later, Wanda was sitting by a cabinet where they kept movies. "Something classic? Horror? Sci-fi?"

"It's your decision, Wanda." Vision hadn't changed; he always let her choose.

She tried to think of a film that meant something to the both of them. There weren't really any special ones, although they had seen many together in the first year, and then in Europe as they tried to minimize their time spent out in crowded places. Wanda had preferred this anyway, where she wouldn't have to look over her shoulder and he could be in his natural form. It wasn't the only reason she preferred to be alone with him, too...

Wanda rummaged through the cabinet so he wouldn't see her blush. "You always let me choose before, so you choose now. We've even got the film versions of some of your books..."

"Wanda, I don't remember what qualifies as a 'good' film. I don't want to chose something you won't enjoy."

"How about this? I'll get rid of these..." Wanda used her powers to chose a few films she wasn't in the mood to watch or didn't like, and place them aside. This seemed to make him feel a little better about choosing from the remaining ones.

Wanda retrieved a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream from the freezer, ignoring the post-it note stuck to it_ ('Mine');_ Carol wouldn't be back for it for a while yet. She joined Vision on the two-seater couch, and then the film began; he had opted for _A Streetcar Named Desire._

For the first half hour, Goose was curled up between them. They both stroked him absent mindedly, hands occasionally brushing, perhaps not entirely by accident. After a while he jumped off to curl up in his bed, leaving them alone on the couch with only a small, flerken-sized gap between them.

Wanda wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but as the film went on, they seemed to be moving closer without realizing. They would shift to get more comfortable, he would reach for the remote and sit a little closer, she was slumping more and more into the couch cushions. It got to the point where their arms were almost brushing.

Wanda fought to stay awake. She liked the movie enough, but old classics like this were more Vision's style. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier as the scenes passed by...

Vision froze when Wanda slumped against his shoulder. He contemplated phasing through the couch to let her sleep, but he couldn't find it in himself. She had been experiencing insomnia over the last week, and according to Sam and Bucky, for the last few months. Maybe he should let her sleep... or was he just making an excuse, because he felt strangely content with her sleeping against him?

It was warm and dark in the room, the volume of the movie was relatively low.Vision shut his eyes for just a moment, and of course, he had another dream.

* * *

_For the first night, they had had separate rooms, but then, merely an hour after they had said goodnight, her piercing screams brought him rushing through the wall. Wanda had barely let go of him all night as he stayed awake with her on the couch, holding her against him, stroking her hair and whispering assurances that she was safe. _

_Ever since she had insisted that they share the same room (in separate beds, of course), __but as he didn't need as much sleep as she did, he would sometimes stay up and read. However, the main reason for this was so he could listen out for her if she began to sound distressed, and wake her before her nightmare got too frightening. She had been having many, for good reason..._

_Vision couldn't really concentrate on the book, hearing her toss and turn for the last hour. His hearing was more refined than a human's, so to him it was significant. He kept thinking about going in there, but maybe this would only keep her awake for longer. He was reading the same paragraph over and over, when finally, he heard her mutter in frustration and get out of bed, her soft footsteps moving across__ the carpet, until she stood in the doorway. _

_"I can't sleep." Wanda mumbled, tiredly. _

_ She was in an oversized t shirt, looking exhausted, recently dyed ginger hair fluffy and tangled. __Her neck was still shadowed with bruises, a bandage still wrapped around her wrist. He tried not to look at them; they were almost healed, and they now bothered him more than they bothered her._

_"Is there anything I can do for you?"_

_Wanda noticed the book he was holding. __"Read to me?"_

_She__ sank onto the couch beside him. He instinctively moved away so she could have space, but she latched onto his arm, leaning into him, chin propped on his shoulder. Vision felt her eyes on his face, and he turned to meet her gaze._

_This kept happening, where they were very close, their eyes locking for a long time that somehow didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward. It had happened in the compound, too, on a few occasions. Her gaze moved down his face, and he saw her lips move slightly. Then she looked at the book he had been reading, prompting him to remember her question._

_"Of course. It's a play, though... it might sound odd being read aloud..."_

_ "You have a very comfortable shoulder... i__t's okay, just read from where you were. I know it enough to know who is talking and when. I could listen to your voice forever..."_

_He stammered the first few lines, barely able to get his facial muscles to move. He felt the upcurve of her lips against his sleeve as she smiled against his arm. _

_"...they told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields..."_


	40. Time bomb

_**Sorry this is late! My wifi has been down for a couple of days.**_

Friday came, and it was a dreary, grey day with mist and hints of rain in the air.

"Not a great day to unveil a statue." Bucky commented, casually slipping a pocketknife and a gun into his overcoat.

"What's that for?"

"It's just in case. Bring something, at least, seeing as we're not in combat gear." Bucky slid Sam his goggles and a gun.

Sam saw the legimate reason to worry, hesitating as he looked at the shield before picking up the goggles and the weapon. "What about Wanda? Should she bring a weapon?"

"It's _Wanda_, Sam."

"Fair point." He glanced down the ramp, able to see Wanda and Vision standing very close on the tarmac.

"I'm sure they'll film the ceremony live, despite this shitty weather... you'll probably be able to watch it on the midday news. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I won't go anywhere." His decision hadn't been made, but it shifted toward staying as he saw the combination of relief and worry in her eyes. Their colour reminded him of sun-lit forest leaves.

"Maybe we can work on a plan when we get back, about telling the world you're alive. No more sneaking around and dodging security..." She reached to pick out a leaf that was still caught in his shirt. "I'm so sorry. I panicked."

"He caught us off guard." Vision felt warm when she laughed a bit.

That morning, after waking up on the sofa, pretending they hadn't fallen asleep together, the two of them had gone for a walk in the forest compound. Vision had persuaded her to tell him more about the battle a few months back. He kept hearing about it, Sam and Bucky offering their own experiences, but Wanda had kept him in the dark.

There was so much she refused to tell him out of fear of moving too fast and overwhelming him, but Vision was getting less fragile every day, and he knew he could take it. Wanda still insisted he wasn't ready to know some things, but now he was wondering if it were because _she_ wasn't ready to tell him...

Wanda had offered him a glimpse, telling him about a moment that she described as the most empowered she had ever felt, when she had confronted Thanos and nearly killed him. _"It was almost like... I avenged you, for what he did that day. To know that he felt a little of the same fear and pain we experienced__... it made me feel fulfilled, even if it was just for a short while. You should have been there with us..."_

Without warning, Wanda had shoved Vision into a bush, for Happy Hogan had come down the trail in his golf cart.

Happy had come back just to collect said golf cart now that they had no more journalists attempting to sneak into the grounds - before heading back to Pepper and Morgan. The secret would probably be safe with Happy anyway, as he had known Vision somewhat well, but they didn't want to risk any slip-ups.

"Just be careful today."

Her eyes softened. "Don't look so worried. It's going to be fine."

"Ready!" Wanda looked over her shoulder as the jet started up. "Let's go, Wanda!"

Her fingertips brushed the back of Vision's hand as she stepped into the jet. "See you soon." She said, before the ramp closed, sealing her in with Sam and Bucky. Then the jet lifted, and soared away into the low cloud. Wanda may have been reassuring Vision, but on the inside she was uncomfortable, not to mention terrified, about today.

On the tarmac, Vision instinctively took a step after the jet, before shaking his head. "No, _no."_ He said, before turning and briskly walking back inside. "You said you wouldn't go." He sat on the couch, tapping the arm. He took a random chess piece, turning it over and over in his hand.

Goose, who was sitting on Wanda's perch by the glass wall, lifted his head to look at Vision. They looked at one another, and Vision watched the flerken's green gaze sharpen as it fixed on him. "I'm not going." Vision said, firmly. In that moment, he could have swore that the area above Goose's eyes raised, as if he were raising invisible eyebrows.

Vision spotted Bucky's black baseball cap on the coffee table. _Maybe it wouldn't hurt..._

* * *

A few hours later, Wanda, Sam and Bucky were peering through the trees, overlooking a crowd of at least a hundred people.

"So _many._" Wanda groaned, feeling the familiar sensation of butterflies flying inside her chest. Her gaze moved to the enormous statue, which was covered by a sheet. By the shape there would be all four of them, Tony, Nat, Steve and Vision, standing together.

"We'll just smile for the cameras and head back." Sam said. "We'll be home in an hour, guarantee it." He lowered his voice so the security guards couldn't hear. "At least we don't have to worry about Vision, I'm sure he's keeping himself entertained."

"I hope so." Wanda felt an automatic stab of worry whenever she saw a man with blonde hair in the crowd. She knew when Vision was up to something, but surely he wouldn't take a risk like that...

"Apparently this was really expensive." Bucky said. "They're going to be pissed when they find out that they'll have to take one down. Maybe we could get Bruce to take credit for bringing him back, or Wakanda..."

At that word, Wanda felt one of her rings cut into her finger when she twisted it too hard.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, Vision was moving through the crowd, using every cell in his body to concentrate on keeping his disguise intact.

When he initially arrived, he had had to slip through the huge crowds gathered outside, for the park had reached capacity hours before and been sealed off. Remembering the way he had slipped into museums in Edinburgh, it hadn't been too difficult to slip through the barrier unnoticed, and from there he had walked through the trees and joined the procession making their way to the clearing where the statue was going to be.

The public jostled past and chattered loudly, and there was security and police lining the procession, looking for suspicious activity. Vision moved quickly, knowing that he probably looked shady himself, walking alone, wearing the hat and synthesized black clothes. Everyone around him were mostly dressed in Avengers merchandise, carrying candles and flowers and moving in groups.

_This was a mistake. You were paranoid, maybe you should just turn back... _

Vision slowed when he reached the clearing. It was packed with people, all gathered before a stage, kept back by a barrier and heavily armed security. The stage had a microphone and several empty chairs, and there was the statue, covered by a large beige cloth. He edged through the crowd, slowly making his way closer, more towards the edge, where it was less claustrophobic.

In the trees, Wanda, Sam and Bucky were greeted by a group. At the front of them was a smartly dressed woman with dark red hair; they recognised her as a campaigner, frequently appearing on the news in support of the Avengers. The others included officials, as well as the statue artists, but Ross was also amongst them, fiddling with a pen. The woman wore a beaming smile, and unlike Ross, it was genuine.

"I'm so glad you could all be here today - I'm Nina. I wish we could have met on happier terms, and I would like to offer my condolences to you all. Before we head on up there, I'll run through a few things... "

Ross and the others headed on stage toward their seats on the left side, leaving Nina with the three of them in the trees. Wanda felt herself drift away, but Nina caught her. "I just want to say, Miss Maximoff. My daughter is a huge fan of you."

This made Wanda smile. "How old is she?"

"She's two - no, seven. She was two, when I disappeared."

"Oh, I'm sorry... that must have been really hard for you."

Nina's expression turned sombre. "It is... we're still trying to get back to normal, but we'll get there. It's funny, people say that it was easier to disappear, but I'm not so sure." Nina hesiatted. "I just want to say, as well. I'm really sorry about him. How are you holding up?"

Wanda was a little shocked; she hadn't expected anyone else to acknowledge Vision or how she felt. Nina seemed to realize that she was a human being, like everyone else. "Thank you. I'm alright." And like human beings, Wanda lied.

"I might say a few words." Sam said to Bucky. "To... " He spotted the two security guards again, who were watching, holding their guns a little tightly. Sam couldn't help but think to himself that they looked a little scruffy, their uniforms poorly fitting. Beads of sweat were rolling down their foreheads.

"To...? " Bucky glanced over his shoulder at the two guards, but then they walked behind the covered statue, before walking off into the trees. "More people terrified to be in our presence." He assumed, and Sam went with this conclusion.

Nina then went into the stage, receiving cheers from the crowd. "Welcome. We're here today to celebrate four heroes, without whom, half of us would not be here now. Anthony Stark; Stephen Rodgers; Natasha Romanoff; and Vision, who lost their lives trying to stop or reverse the decimation, reunite families, and bring back the light that Thanos extinguished. Here today with me is three of the people who knew them best."

That was their que.

They went up the wooden steps, emerging onto the stage. The crowd erupted into cheers.

Standing on the fringe of the crowd, Vision pulled the hat down over his face even more. He had a feeling that Wanda would be angry at him if she found out he had lied to her about staying behind. Even from the distance he could see how nervous she was, her nails digging into her palms, lips moving faintly as she counted under her breath in an attempt to stay calm. _Just breathe... _almost like she heard him, her eyes snapped in his direction, and Vision ducked behind a tree.

"-I believe that Mr Wilson would like to say a few words." Nina passed Sam the microphone. He took a deep breath.

"Steve and Natasha were two of my greatest friends. I wouldn't be the person I am today without them, and I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if I didn't run into Steve that morning in Washington. Tony and Vision, too, we had our differences, as you know, but they were still my friends. I'll be forever grateful for the sacrifices they all made, to bring everyone back, and I wish we had more time... "

Wanda kept her eyes firm on the ground, feeling less anxious and more on the verge of tears. _I am not going to cry in front of the whole world. I won't_. The tear hung onto her eyelid, like a piece of fruit clinging to a tree. She pressed her eyes shut, not just thinking of Vision.

It had broken her heart to see Steve as an old man, slowly growing weaker until he passed in his sleep. It had crippled her when she found out why Natasha, who had been almost like a mother to her, hadn't been at the battle. Even Tony, that irritating workaholic shut-in who she had spent most of her life hating or at odds with, she wished it hadn't had to end that way...

Wanda looked over the crowd again, and then she looked over her shoulder, into the dark trees. Why did she feel a prickling sensation, as if cold fingers were touching the back of her neck? Something was wrong. She felt it in her bones, her heart sinking like an elevator plunging down a shaft. Something was coming. Something was about to happen...

_"...they're on stage."_ Vision picked up the softest voice. He turned his head and saw a dark-skinned woman, whispering into a device on her wrist. Immediately she dropped her wrist and turned, moving through the crowd. He felt the stone sear in his head, causing him to gasp, making several people turn to look at him. It was burning like a coal, screaming a warning at him.

On stage, everything else blurred out as Wanda focused, reaching out. She felt the sorrow and excitement from the crowd, but underneath that, she could feel something in the trees behind the statue. Trepidation, fear, a sick form of excitement.

_"Are they ready for release?"_

_"Yes. As soon as the curtain falls, detonate it."_

They. Curtain. Detonate...

_Ten. Nine. Eight. _

_Oh god..._

_Seven. Six._

This was a trap.

_Five. Four._

Wanda spun round. She watched Nina grab the cloth and pull it, oblivious as to what lay underneath.

_Three._

The sheet slipped halfway off the statue. Wanda saw four grey faces, the shoulders of her dead teammates.

_Two._

Wanda threw up her hands and the statue briefly turned red, as she tried to intercept the explosion before it happened. Nobody else knew what she had felt or heard, knew what was under the cloth. Then security were turning their guns _at her,_ as they misunderstood, didn't know what was about to happen. Desperately, she tried to warn them.

_"Get down! _It's a -"

_One._


	41. Still alive

A cloud of smoke shrouded what was once the stage and the concealed statue, reduced to a a deadly concoction of broken wood and rubble. The crowd fled like startled antelope, screaming and shoving, climbing over barriers and each other to escape.

The statue had barely survived. The figure that had once been Natasha was the only one still standing, arms gone and her face badly singed. Someone's ankles remained, although it was unclear who's, and a single calf severed at the knee was on the far right. Whoever had been standing between the ankles and the calf was completely gone.

The screams of the crowd began to pierce the veil of ringing in Wanda's ears. There was a haze of pain searing across her forehead. There was blood trickling down between her eyes. There was blood _in_ her eyes. She opened them, to find Vision's lifeless grey head staring back at her.

She bit back the urge to scream. _It's just a piece of the statue. This isn't Wakanda. _Vision wasn't the only one in pieces. Natasha's left arm was still clutching a baton, Steve's fingers were wrapped around a fragment of his shield, pieces of Tony's torso littered the ground. She was frozen, laying amongst the body parts of her dead friends.

The hat went flying off Vision's head as he tore across the clearing, not caring if anybody noticed he was running _through_ people. He ran through the smoke and came to a stop in front of the heap of wood and rubble, frantically scouring the debris. He didn't believe in the concept of a deity, but he was praying nonetheless, whispering frantically under his breath.

"Please no, please..." He called for them. Nobody replied.

Wanda was so close to the statue when the explosion happened... what if... Vision didn't have to imagine a nightmare scenario for much longer, spotting the red of the cardigan she had chosen to wear that day, now singed and dusty. There was a gash on her forehead, blood trickling down between her eyes and down the side of her nose. He called her name.

Snapping out of her trance, she looked beyond the stone Vision, and saw the _real_ Vision, in his human form, running toward her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Wanda asked, in disbelief, as he reached her. Vision helped her to stand, and she leaned into him, unsteady and jarred from the explosion. He held her in a similar way he had when they danced in their hotel room, his arm around her, his hand still in hers from where he had pulled her to her feet.

"We'll discuss this later." His eyes were on her forehead, as fretful as ever before. "You're bleeding."

"It looks worse than it is... you can't -" Wanda's gaze shifted to something behind him, and he instinctively turned at the same time. The woman Vision had observed earlier was running straight toward them, pulling a gun from her coat. She raised the weapon and pulled the trigger.

Vision increased his density and shoved Wanda behind the base of the statue. Two bullets struck him but they were crushed on impact, falling harmlessly to the floor. The woman lowered her gun, looking confused; her eyes narrowed as they studied him. Then they grew as wide as saucers and the blood drained from her face.

_ "You?"_ She sputtered, without thinking. Vision was momentarily confused, wondering how she could recognise him in this form - unless she had seen it before... then he remembered. Siren knew exactly what his human form looked like. They always had him go on missions in his disguise.

She turned and ran across the grass, into the woods. Without thinking, Vision followed.

"Get back here!" Wanda protested. A cry of pain stopped her on her way to follow. She tore her eyes away from the trees and to Nina, her face pale and bloody, trapped under a chunk of stone. Wanda looked into the trees briefly, before she casted the stone away.

As she pulled Nina to her feet, a new sound made them both freeze. Ice flooded Wanda's veins and Nina's grip tightened on her arms at the animalistic screech. "What was that?" Nina asked, every syllable trembling with fear.

Wanda vaguely recognised the call, and this detail scared her.

"It doesn't matter. I'll get you out of here." She lifted Nina across the clearing, which was already churned into mud and strewn with crushed flowers, trampled by the crowd. Some civilians stopped to catch her from the air before helping Nina limp away.

Wanda's first thought was Sam and Bucky; half of her question was answered as Sam came stumbling from the trees, apparently thrown by the explosion. He was covered in dust, blood oozing from his lip, but otherwise unharmed.

"You good?" Sam asked, fiercely, putting on his goggles.

"I've been better." Wanda held a hand to her forehead to try and get it to stop bleeding. "We've got to find Bucky..." It was hard her her to isolate him against the mess of fear and panic. Sam frantically scanned the debris.

"There's four people under here. He might be one of them."

"Alright, I'm going to try and lift this. You see someone, pull them out." Sam nodded, and the whole mass ignited red. Slowly, carefully, Wanda began to lift the debris. Rocks and wood began to float, and then a very dusty statue artist and Thaddeus Ross were stumbling clear, running for the gates.

A metal hand was revealed as the top layer rose. Sam leapt to drag Bucky out, covered in dust. "Talk to me."

"I'm fine." Bucky coughed, before getting up. "I was just stuck. Is that everyone?"

Wanda didn't answer. Sam and Bucky's eyes moved to where she was looking, where someone was emerging from the trees. Josephine crept out of the treeline like a shadow, the green mask lighting up through the smoke.

They stared at each other across the rubble, waiting for something to happen for a long moment. For her to charge, to pull out a weapon, to say something. Josephine didn't do anything except turn and run back into the trees, disappearing as quickly as she appeared.

Wanda was twitching. A muscle in her eyelid twitched, as did her fingers. The ice that had formed in her veins turned to fire, and then she was ignoring the faint cries of a final person from the rubble. A creature made of rage consumed her, possessed her entirely. All she could see in her head was Josephine with a shovel, digging in the exact same spot Vision had died in.

"_Don't even think about it!" _Bucky lunged, but Wanda pushed past him and ran into the forest, following the glowing suit, determined to kill this time.

"Come back!" Sam screeched. He threw his goggles at Bucky. "Help the last person out, I'll get her!"

* * *

In the woods, Vision caught up to the woman, seizing the collar of her jacket. She attempted to shoot him once again, but Vision seized the gun and crushed it. She dropped the scrap of metal and began to plead.

"Please, just don't kill me! I have a -"

"You're Cara. You were there." He had a handful of conscious moments, but Cara was vivid now. He saw her pointing at newspaper cuttings, arguing or speaking softly with Josephine. She was part of it, the reason why there was more red on his hands beside natural colour. The stone breached his disguise, glowing like a lit firework, as it did whenever he was angry. Cara shrank away from him in fear.

"None of this was down to me. I don't make plans, I just help. Please, I have a son..." Vision's grip on her collar loosened slightly as he saw the genuine fear in her brown eyes. He was unsure whether this claim was true or just an attempt to save her own skin - but even if she was lying, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

"Why did you just try to shoot us?"

"Josie's plan is going to get herself killed, I thought killing Maximoff would end all this."

Vision didn't understand. "What is the plan?" He demanded instead, his grasp on her collar tightened once more.

"Most of us were wiped out in the flooding bunker, and the others quit after Maximoff used her powers on them. What's left of us, this is our last attack..."

"I'm not referring to Siren."

Cara tried to steer him away. "Look - what we did. Our mission from 2018 was just to steal technology from Wakanda. Taking your body was Josephine's idea. We went along with her because - we both get what we want. Siren gets a new asset, she finds some solace, and everyone wins... "

"Solace?" He asked, blankly. "Why would taking my body from the soil provide _solace?" _Cara looked confused, surprised, even - as if she had expected him to know. She didn't get the chance to clarify anything, as Vision let her go without warning.

He could hear Wanda and Josephine, screaming.


	42. Cold blood

Vision flew faster, desperately searching for the red of Wanda's magic or for the green light of Josephine's suit_. I should have seen this coming, I never should have left Wanda's side..._ Vision couldn't hear the screaming anymore, which only drove him into a further panic. Then:

"Goddamit! Come back!" _Sam?_

Vision soon spotted him up ahead, out of breath. His hands were pressing into his scalp and he was looking around frantically. He landed behind him and Sam spun round, gun raised. When he realized who it was he immediately lowered the weapon, eyes wide with surprise.

"What the hell are you - oh, never mind -" Sam paused to shout for Wanda. "She went after Josephine, we've got to get her back."

"You look down here, I'll look from above." Vision said this calmly, but inside, he was feeling the exact opposite.

"Stay low, you could still be seen!"

* * *

_"Are you coming to get me, witch?"_ Josephine's shrieks turned into a demented sing-song voice. "_I dug up the Vision! I dug up his cold, dead corpse!"_

Wanda's blood was boiling hot enough to melt lead. She flew, leapt distances, ran. Josephine stayed just out of view, always one step ahead. Her voice remained just as loud, so close, and Wanda felt blind, Josephine's consciousness still invisible to her.

"Where are you?" She screamed into the forest.

It suddenly seemed very dark, the grey sky covered in stormclouds. The wind was like a blade of ice against her face, piercing through her clothes and yanking her hair. The trees loomed, their wide trunks and bristling branches concealing any trace of Josephine. Their roots spilled and tangled across the earth, the gnarled bark of the trunks forming threatening grins. At the same time, there was a distorted chuckle from somewhere behind the trees.

"Show yourself." Wanda hissed, magic surging to her fingertips.

_"Come and find me."_ Josephine's voice echoed around her, and she couldn't trace it to it's source. "_Where could I be? Your powers can't help you now..."_ The tone ceased to be deliberately childlike and playful, now sinister and threatening. This wasn't a game anymore.

A eerie quiet casted across the clearing; Wanda couldn't even hear the crowd screaming anymore. Her breath grew rapid as she stepped backwards, both livid and terrified, unsure which emotion was stronger. _What are you so afraid of? She can't hurt you..._

Bolts of electricity coursed through Wanda's back. She was screaming, and so was Josephine, kicking at her to try and get her on the floor. She didn't have the upper hand for very long, as an involuntary wave of energy burst forth from Wanda. Josephine was flung across the clearing, landing with a sickening thump. She made a dive for the tazer, but the device briefly blazed red until only a scrap of twisted metal remained. She briefly glanced to the right, before lifting her glowing green mask.

"That looks painful." Josephine commented, referring to the gash in Wanda's forehead, which was still dripping blood. "He had it worse, though."

"How the hell did you..." Wanda began, before the scientist bounced her foot in the air, showing off the strange, mesh-like shoes she was wearing.

"Completely sound absorbent, invented by the princess of Wakanda herself."

Wanda emitted a hollow laugh; no wonder she couldn't hear Josephine sneaking through the undergrowth. "Did you steal those the same time you stole him?"

"Her name is Shuri, isn't it? She's a brilliant kid. A few minutes and that stone would have been out safely. You must kick yourself for not coming back sooner."

Wanda hauled her off the floor. Her fingers burned with concentrated energy, and this time, she was able to effortlessly rip through the mesh mask. Josephine had cut her curled black hair short since their last encounter, but this wasn't what Wanda noticed. Her left cheek was covered with a a partially healed burn scar spreading down to her jaw, contrasting fiercely with her pale, sallow skin. Wanda was stabbed with a blade of guilt; she had been the one to tell Carol to shoot her in the face.

"I'll kill her for this." Josephine said, bitterly.

"Like you would get the chance." She held her trench coat tightly, smoke rising from the leather. Josephine looked down at Wanda's hands, eyes full of fear and fascination. More than that. Not like Vision's natural curiosity, this fascination felt more... intense.

_What are you waiting for? _

Wanda's skin was crawling with unease, but the anger she was expecting didn't arrive. She had ran after Josephine with the intent of killing her, but now the scientist was in her grasp, she hesitated. Thanos was different, he was a monster. Josephine was a human being... and she had brought Vision back to life. Her powers retreated, but she didn't let go of Josephine just yet.

"Hurts, doesn't it? Losing someone you love." The scientist said, out of the blue.

"You don't know anything." Wanda scoffed. Josephine's grey gaze darkened.

"I know everything about _you_. I've combed through every file, seen everything he's seen. Despite you turning to ash, I've become very familiar with you in the last five years."

"Oh, I'm sure -"

"I know your mother's name." A block of ice formed in Wanda's stomach. Josephine revelled in it, her white smile growing bigger. "I can tell you where each scar came from, because you told him." Wanda couldn't conjure magic or words; it was as though her lips had been sewn shut. "I watched you plead as he begged you to kill him. I wonder if he cared that you would be all alone, once he was gone? You must resent him for making you do that."

"I don't resent him." Wanda forced the words out.

"Don't you?"

Jospehine's eyes kept moving toward the right, and the thought that she was just trying to buy time, or keep her there, didn't cross Wanda's mind.

"I don't -"

"Think about the army of Wakanda, some who died to give you time. And for what? Nothing. Those creatures would never have gone to Wakanda if you'd destroyed the stone sooner."

"It doesn't matter _when_ I destroyed it. Thanos would have found a way to get it back. I never wanted..." Why was Josephine talking about Wakanda so much? "Where is this coming from? You weren't there... " She frowned, realizing her mistake._ Of course she was there, she must have been..._

Josephine's eyes were dead, two hollows in a living face. "We were in the city when those creatures arrived."

There was something about the way she said it. Wanda's eyes travelled to a glint of metal around the scientist's neck. It was a chain under the trench coat collar, with a ring looped through it. Not just any ring.

It was a man's wedding ring.

"Did he disappear?" Wanda's grasp loosened, and Josephine's eyes glazed with pain.

"He wasn't that fortunate."

Wanda remembered attacking Josephine's mind in the flooding bunker, forcing her to a relive her darkest fears and memories. She had glimpsed her mind, heard man screaming, drops of blood flying through the air. Wanda's fingers lifted slowly for Josephine's temple. She only wanted to look - she wanted to understand.

"No. No, get out!" Josephine struggled away. "Don't you think you could have found a more efficient way to kill Vision?" Wanda stopped, pulling her hand away. "Maybe you should have tried to kill Thanos instead, seeing as destroying the mind stone was pointless anyway. I wonder how it felt to die like that?"

Wanda didn't want to understand anymore, not wanting to be in this woman's toxic mind. _Don't listen... just walk away. _"I've heard enough." She turned and started walking away, fists clenched to suppress her powers. Josephine looked frantically toward the trees, suit still glowing green.

"Maybe it was like being burned alive!"

Wanda closed her eyes tightly as she tried to block Josephine out.

_"Stop -" _

"Couldn't you just have ripped it out and then blown it up? His death would have been much faster, and it would have only happened once -"

_"I said stop!"_

In one swift motion, Wanda ripped some tree roots from the ground, then they were wrapping around Josephine's throat. Josephine hadn't seen this coming. Her eyes widened with surprise and then complete terror, and then she was struggling to breathe. Wanda didn't think or feel anything - it was like someone else had taken over her brain.

Drawn by the light, Vision and Sam burst into the clearing. They briefly froze, transfixed by what they saw.

It was like a scene from a horror film. Josephine was turning blue, hanging a few feet off the ground, Wanda below her, hands stretched upwards, absolutely no remorse on her face. The roots were still attached to the earth, writhing and glowing red as they tightened around Josephine like dozens of snakes.

"Oh my god." Sam snapped out of the trance, exclaiming in horror. "Put her down!"

She heard him, but she didn't react. Vision ran to her side, his disguise vanishing, something inside telling him that Wanda would listen if he looked more like himself. Part of him wanted Josephine to die - but the rest of him knew this wasn't right.

"Stop! You'll kill her!" Her glowing red eyes didn't move - she had no intention of releasing Josephine. Vision couldn't even see her pupils anymore, her eyes were just two blank, fiery orbs of light. He knew that even in his old life, this was a Wanda he had never met. "She doesn't need to die. If you do this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"After everything she did to you?" Wanda hissed. "_She deserves it. _You know she does." She began to close her hands, the roots tightening even more. Jospehine's eyes were bloodshot now, and her strangled gasps for air began to grow weaker.

"Nobody deserves to die like this." Vision stepped closer. "Look at me -_ look at me_." That was one of the last things he had ever said to her. Suddenly, tree roots were wrapping themselves around Wanda's heart. She looked away from Josephine, to him. Vision's eyes were filled with the same pleading. "This isn't you. Please, Wanda - don't do this."

Her face creased into a frown and the red light left her eyes. Whatever monster was holding her let go. _What am I doing? _

Josephine and the roots fell to the ground as she released her, gasping and spluttering to refill her lungs. Wanda recoiled in horror as the realisation of what she had nearly done hit her.

Behind them, Sam frowned as he looked at Josephine's face, slowly returning to it's normal colour. He didn't see the partially healed burn, however. He saw a wire that was coming out from under the ripped neck of her still-glowing suit, how it was coiling around her ear. Josephine's gaze had been to the right the whole time, and now Sam could hear something heavy moving through the undergrowth. He was afraid to look, but he forced his head to turn.

A pair of feral, alien eyes stared back at him.


	43. The creature

_**I'm so sorry this took forever, I promise the next one will come sooner.**_

_**I can't believe that Chadwick Boseman has passed away. I'm in shock, he was one of my favourite actors and Black Panther is one of my favourite movies of all time. I can't believe it happened to such a lovely person who was young, talented and had so much ahead of him. We have lost another legend far too soon. **_

_**Rest in peace.**_

* * *

"Talk to me." Wanda didn't move. Her eyes were green again but they appeared darker, as they remained on the coughing and spluttering Josephine. She looked less remorseful and more... disappointed.

_"You're here?" _

Her voice sent a trail of cold down Vision's spine._ Snap their neck. Smash their skull against that wall. _His fists clenched, and his teeth clamped tightly as he turned to meet Josephine's bloodshot grey gaze. Being strangled to near death hadn't scared her - him being here did. She had obviously had no idea that Wanda had found him. She was outnumbered and overpowered and she knew it.

"You need to leave." Vision said, bluntly. _While you still can._ At first Josephine took a few steps back, hesitating, struggling between fight and flight. After a moment, she ripped the last root off her arm.

"Look at you two." She said, reverting to her mocking self. "You look _adorable."_

Wanda took a threatening step forward, and Vision lightly took hold of her forearm. She was breathing fast, red light encircling her green irises, adrenaline coursing through every cell. If Josephine said one more wrong word, there would be no stopping Wanda this time.

"Don't listen to anything she says. Don't give her what she wants." He whispered close to her ear, her hair brushing against his lip.

Josephine continued. "It's nice to see that things aren't awkward between you both, considering how you left things off in Wakanda."

A cold hand wrapped around Wanda's heart. "Shut your mouth. Or I will shut it _forever."_

Sam's gun clicked. "Ten O'Clock." He muttered, as he motioned toward the right with his eyes.

From the dark void of the treeline, Corvus Glaive stared back at them.

Time stood still. The stone began sending violent pulses of energy through Vision's entire body as he vividly remembered Edinburgh. _No. _Wanda's entire body trembled and her powers surged to her fingertips. _That's impossible._ Vision remembered driving the spear through his back. Wanda had watched his other version dissolve into ashes with the rest of Thanos's army. So how was he was here? What had Josephine done?

_Wait... it's not__. _The face was almost the same, but not quite.

The hunchbacked alien came into the light on all fours, long, skinny limbs attached to bony shoulders. There were more teeth – too many teeth - sticking out of it's exaggerated, drooling mouth. It's hide was made of hardened tissue, darker, almost black. This creature was completely feral. There was no control or intelligence in the way it moved; like a bigger, more primitive version of Corvus... as if he had been spliced with another alien. _That's just it._ Dozens of outriders had been left to rot away on the field.

The creature stalked forward but made no move to attack; it just crouched there, staring at them, like a hunting dog awaiting command. A circle of glowing green plastic protruded from the crown of it's head, the same green as Josephine's suit.

_"What have you done?" _Vision's voice deepened as his density increased.

Josephine didn't say a word this time. Before their very eyes, her face and neck were turning grey and purple, and there were thin cuts starting to bleed, the black suit torn in places. She had the same murderous look in her eyes as Wanda had a few moments before.

_"Josep-" _

The creature sprang forward with a snarl, straight for Wanda. She rose her hands in defence, but Vision was faster. They went crashing across the floor, a whirlwind of black and blue and the gold of his cape. The creature snarled and snapped, long arms flailing as it tried in vain to swipe at Vision; it's claws just moved through him.

"Vizh! Get away from it -" Wanda ran forward to try and get them apart, but they moved too fast. Sam prepared to rush into the fray, but Wanda scooped him up with her powers before he could get close. Ignoring his protests, she lifted him into a tree.

"Let me -"

"Just shoot it!" Wanda screamed up at Sam.

Bullets started striking the leaves by the animal's feet, as he struggled to hit the fast-moving creature. Wanda lifted her hands. A red haze momentarily flickered between Vision and the creature, before cold fingers seized her by the hair. Sam aimed his gun at Josephine, but the trigger clicked uselessly; he had used his last bullet.

Vision pushed back against the creature, it's jaws snapping so close to his head, a tidal wave of new memories flooding into his mind. He saw Edinburgh in more clarity, the edges less hazy. The creature's face was so close to his own, as was the round, green object in it's skull.

In his mind, he saw something. Vision stopped phasing as he was paralysed by what he remembered. The creature could hit him at last, even though it's claws weren't causing damage; it relentlessly hit him over and over, seizing him and throwing him repeatedly against the floor, trying and failing to leave a mark.

"I'm sorry -" Wanda prepared to unleash her powers; but what Josephine said seemed to lock her in time.

"In his last few weeks, Vision was thinking about buying you a ring. Did you know that?"

Wanda lost focus of her surroundings. She didn't notice Jospehine's eyes flash toward the creature, didn't see it turn around, ending it's assault on Vision. Then Josephine was lurching back, and a roar sounded behind them as the creature sprang. It's claws slashed through the air and Wanda was tossed across the clearing like a ragdoll.

His body numb, Vision sat up, hearing a muffled scream, as if he were underwater. He lifted his head, and everything became brutally clear.

It was pinning Wanda down, claws digging into her shoulders. She struggled beneath it, hands moving and grasping thin air but no magic coming. She stared up into it's familiar eyes, transfixed as she could only see it's open mouth, how many teeth were in it. The jaws stretched wider and wider, saliva dripping onto the leaves by her ear.

Josephine was looking on with delighted madness, her eyes alive for once, like a spectator at a game. "Kill her!" she screamed so loudly her voice almost tore. _"Just kill her, now -"_

The flash of anger went straight to Vision's forehead as he leapt to his feet.

Blood splattered Wanda's face and her closed eyelids burned as the beam sliced above her. The smell of burning flesh seeped into the air. There was a slashing sound, and a terrible, violent shrieking sent jolts through her body.

She opened her eyes in time to see Vision viciously kick the creature in the side, and it flew across the clearing, hitting a tree with a sickening crack. Her whole body numbed as her eyes found a tree root laying a few feet away, covered in blue blood. It took her a few moments to realize that the tree root was actually the creature's severed foot.

Howling in pain, the creature limped toward the treeline, leaving a trail of blue behind it. "No!" Josephine cried, furiously. She tried to summon the creature back, but the agony of it's bleeding leg was too much for it to bear, as it hobbled away into the bushes. She whirled round, to find herself face to face with Vision. Her eyes widened with fear.

Vision shoved her away forcefully, toward the trees where the creature had gone. "Get out of here." His voice was as hard as granite, the stone ablaze in his head like a tiny sun. "_Now." _

"Mark my words. You haven't seen the last of me." Josephine vowed, before stepping back, and fleeing the scene.

"Is everyone okay?" Sam jumped down from the tree.

Vision remained rooted to the spot, staring into the forest, the new memory replaying in his mind over and over in an endless time loop. He finally turned around, eyes moving to Wanda right away, his mouth parting to tell her what he saw. She had her back to him as she started to stand, before she turned to face him. Every muscle in Vision's body turned to stone. Wanda frowned at his horrified expression.

"What's..."

Vision stammered her name. She looked down.

Blood was pouring down her jeans.


	44. Dire

_**If you don't like blood... sorry, there's going to be lots. It won't be seriously graphic, but just be prepared.**_

In shock, Wanda initially felt nothing. Numb and confused, she took a step forward.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch..."

They dove forward as she crumpled to the ground. Her hands went to her stomach immediately, a fountain of red spouting through her fingers. Her cry of pain went straight through Vision's heart as he pressed his hands into hers, into the wound, but her blood continued to trickle through their overlapped fingers.

Was this really happening right now? Was this real? Was this her blood, _everywhere? _"I need something to -" Vision began, but Sam was already pulling off his coat.

"Here! Keep the pressure on, I'll get help!" He started for the bushes. The navy fabric of Sam's coat soon turned purple. She was clenching her teeth, resisting the urge to cry out in pain.

"Just breathe. Try not to move, alright?" Vision tried to stay calm, well aware that Wanda would pick up on his distress. Her mouth tried to form words, but the pain stole her voice; if she spoke, she might scream.

_"Fine by me."_ She said into his mind.

Heavy footsteps came into earshot, as someone - or something - came their way. Was Josephine coming back? Or worse, the creature? Sam narrowed his eyes briefly, before sighing in relief. "Oh, thank god, they're good guys. Over here!"

Vision instantly shifted into his human appearance; Wanda was pulling at his wrist.

_"You need to go - they might -"_

"I'm not going anywhere." Vision said, firmly.

Two soldiers entered the clearing, guns raised. As opposed to coming forward to help, they aggressively pointed their guns at three of them, despite the fact that Wanda was bleeding on the floor. "You there!" Not having a clue who he was pointing his gun at, one of them screeched at Vision. "Identify yourself and step away!"

He didn't move, eyes on the weapon pointed at them. What was going on?

"She's wounded, can you help us -" Sam stepped toward them, but then the other turned his gun on him. He raised his his hands in defence, eyes widening. "What the hell is going on here?"

"You're all under arrest."

Sam looked at the two soldiers, a blank look of confusion on his face. _"Are you insane?"_

Vision's mind raced back to the explosion. Nobody knew about Siren. Nobody had seen the bomb - it had gone off before the cloth had exposed it. All anybody had seen was Wanda's magic mere seconds before an explosion. "This is a misunderstanding. We can explain -"

"Look at her wound!" Sam exclaimed. "You're wasting your time. There's a creature out there and it can't have gone far -"

The soldier blatantly ignored Sam as he waved his gun once more at Vision. "We have secured Maximoff and Wilson. Are the measures for their containment in place?" This triggered something within Wanda. Her hand stretched out across the floor, and her sleeve moved, exposing the straitjacket scar on her wrist.

Some red, glowing branches from overhead slammed down onto the two men. "Now! Let's go, go!" Sam hastily grabbed one of their dropped weapons. The branches began to move as the two soldiers began to rise.

Wanda attempted to get up, but Vision didn't allow her to rise another centimetre, sweeping her from the ground. A gunshot ran out and Vision felt a bullet bounce off his ankle as he dove into the trees, after Sam.

They crashed through the undergrowth. Vision didn't fly in case they were being followed. Wanda jolted against him, her grasp slipping, and Sam's coat fell to the ground. A few sparks of weak energy circulated over the wound, but she was in too pain to concentrate.

She muttered. "I tried to stop it..."

"That's not what it looked like from their angle! We will fix it, they'll realize their mistake soon enough!" Sam struggled to pull his phone out. "Buck! Get back to the jet! I don't know if you have your phone on you but for God's sake if you do, _get to the jet -" _Without warning, he stopped._ "Hide!"_

Vision skewed right behind some bushes, while Sam took cover behind a tree. Through a gap in the leaves, they spotted three heavily armed soldiers up ahead.

"Negative. No sign of movement. We will shoot when ready..." They were coming closer. "Hear that?"

He could feel Wanda's blood seeping into his synthesized overcoat. He could feel her tears of pain against his neck. "I heard something, I know I did." One of them muttered. There was an audible click as the safety was switched off from a gun. They came closer, parallel to their hiding spot. A boot stepped into view, and lifted to take another step forward.

Sam mouthed a word across the space. _"Run."_

He leapt out from his hiding place, crashing through the ferns in the opposite direction. The soldiers immediately ran in pursuit, screaming for him to stop. Not stopping to think about what Sam had just done, Vision made a break for it.

They weren't far now. They could hear sirens in the distance, and the screeches of military personel, yelling for them to surrender. Each yell grew louder and closer. Finally, the jet emerged, glinting under the weak sun - there was movement beneath it.

Someone was standing outside the jet. It was Bucky, holding a stolen gun, with fresh blood on his face that wasn't his. "Oh my god! What happened?"

"Later." Wanda groaned. "We just need to get out..."

He ran across the soil to meet them. "I heard that animal, whatever it was, but the soldiers didn't believe me when they showed up. I barely got away. Where's Sam -" Suddenly Bucky's eyes were huge. Vision heard military boots behind them. Then Bucky was shoving him._ "Get in!" _

They were running for the jet. Bucky slapped the outside button to release the ramp, as the five police officers charged at them. "I'll cover you!" Bucky shot to miss, hitting the ground by their feet. Vision dove into the jet, putting Wanda down, before switching on the engine. The jet hummed to life; but Bucky was still outside. There was the sound of bullets on metal. Bucky was no longer standing in front of the ramp - and the sound of bullets on the jet sides were actually a metal fist.

_ "Go! Go now!" _

Vision briefly saw Bucky disappear into the bushes. Instead of following, the five officers sprinted for the jet. Vision hit the ramp button so hard it left a dent. It swung up, and within seconds there was a violent banging on the door, fists hammering against the metal. "Open up! Right now!"

The jet shook and lifted up off the ground. Vision glanced out of the window in time to see more police enter the scene. He pushed the accelerator and the people below were sent flying off their feet as the jet zoomed into space.

* * *

Vision's adrenaline - did he even produce adrenaline? - slowly came down.

_We left them. _Seeing them from this height was laughable, but he tried anyway, looking out the window. The stone stump that had been the statue was now surrounded by a mass of police and soldiers. A helicopter had landed and flashing police cars and ambulances were pulling up, one after the other. No Sam or Bucky, no Siren or Josephine. He blinked and they were gone as the jet zoomed away and into the clouds. His palms left bloody handprints on the glass as he retreated from the window.

"Vizh..."

Blood was pooling on the bench beneath her. Her hands remained clasped in place as she tried to keep the pressure on the wound. Vision snatched up a first aid kit and a grey sweater hanging on a headrest.

On the ground, he had felt strangely calm. As if he were on autopilot, like the jet - he had to stay calm. But now, here, alone, the sight of Wanda's blood dripping down the bench, how pale she looked... he felt sick. His hands shook as he pressed the sweater into her stomach. She was bleeding so much.

"It's alright. It, it..." He stammered.

When the creature caught her with it's claws, it had cut deep. Her hands were as red as Vision's, black nails and silver rings indistinguishable. The gash on her forehead left behind a red stain that spread from between her eyes to the side of her nose; the rest of her face was as white as paper. Her hand snatched Vision's wrist, seeking an anchor for the pain.

"That thing... it looked like..."

"We'll talk about the creature later."

Vision rummaged through the first aid box. There were bandages and gauze, medical thread, but it wouldn't be enough to fix this kind of damage. She needed real help, and he couldn't do that for her...

...real help? From where? Vision remembered what she had said to him, as they flew back from Scotland. People in power didn't take chances with people like her and him. It was shoot first and ask questions later. Every hospital in the country was probably being monitored right now. Any friends were probably being investigated as they spoke... and what could they do for this?

The direness of their situation began to dawn. "You saw what happened down there. We have to go back for Sam and Bucky -"

"Going back for them isn't an option. They'll be alright because... it's you they're after."

"Thanks." Wanda flinched.

They did this for twenty minutes. They were silent, Wanda's eyes pressed shut through the pain, and Vision keeping the pressure on her injury, the density increased in his hands. The grey sweater was completely soaked with red.

"I'm going to have a look at it." He lifted the fabric ever so slightly. Some blood began to well up in response, but it was no longer pouring out uncontrollably. "It's slowing. Keep the pressure there, I just need to see our location..."

Vision didn't know what he was going to do when he reached the controls; but he certainly didn't expect to see nothing but ocean beneath them. For the very first time in his existence, he swore under his breath. According to the map, they were halfway across the Atlantic. They could probably be back in Scotland within twenty minutes...

His hand moved to turn the jet around, but then he stopped and thought for moment. They had to turn and go back to... to where? They couldn't go to a hospital, he didn't know any doctors... what the hell were they going to do? Without help, Wanda wouldn't survive the next twenty four hours...

He looked around, desperate for inspiration. His eyes moved across the vibranium interior. _We don't need twenty four hours. With this ship, we could get there in one... _The creature hadn't damaged her organs - if this were the case Wanda would have died within minutes. If he could just keep her stable, keep the bleeding down for another hour or two...

_I don't want to go back. But we have to... _The stone twinged fiercely in his head, but he ignored it, entering a location and pushing the accelerator to full speed. Wanda struggled to see it from her position. "Where are we going?"

"You're not going to like it." Vision looked over his shoulder at her, and she frowned, trying to understand. He tried to shut his mind off, but there was no hiding it from her. Her face whitened another shade and her eyes flooded with dread.

"No."

"We don't have another option."

"Don't take me back there."

"I know it's the last place you want to be. But they can help you."

"We thought that last time! I haven't been to Wakanda since..." She was hyperventilating. The air around them began to fill with her magic as she started to panic. He went to her, back on the floor by the bench. He pressed his hands into hers once more.

"This is different. _Listen,"_ he said, softly. "If we don't do something, you're going to die. Do you understand? Either you die here, from blood loss, or you die in a hospital when soldiers come for you. And I can't let that happen. I can't... " More blood seeped through their hands. Wanda's lip trembled, eyes simmering with pain. They clouded and briefly flared red.

She gave a tiny nod.


	45. Fading

_The quinjet shuddered with turbulence. __"We're just over Kenya now. Won't be much longer. I'd say no more than ten minutes." Nat glanced over her shoulder at Wanda, who nodded. She t__urned back to Vision, pressing her hand to the damaged portion of his upper chest. He offered her a smile, but it was clearly forced._

_"How's the pain?" She asked._

_ "Not bad." _

_He could feel every broken wire and it hurt to breathe. But he couldn't let her know that. And with her hand pressed to the damaged portion of his upper chest, it didn't feel so bad... Wanda once again raised a hand, and a few red sparks entered his side. She muttered in irritation when there was little change. "Damnit. It's not having it..."_

_"Wanda..."_

_"I'm sure once this is over and the stone is out, they'll be able to fix this." Wanda said. "They're brilliant."_

_"They are." Vision agreed, with forced optimism. __"I need to talk to you -"_

_ "I've patched it up as best as I -"_

_ "At least think about it." Her green eyes moved from his damaged torso to his face. She glanced over her shoulder, where Steve, Natasha, Sam and Bruce were crowding in the cockpit, pretending to be fiddling with the controls, when really they were giving them space. She pursed her lips and her eyes casted downwards._

_ "We're not discussing it because it won't happen." _

_"You can't keep denying it. My life is nothing - "_

_"Don't say that. It's everything to me." Wanda said, fiercely. "Why are we even talking about this? We'll be in Wakanda soon." Vision went to protest once more, but she cut him off. __"Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do? And what will I do then? When you're gone?"_

_The pain in Vision's chest grew worse. He looked behind her, where Sam, Steve, Nat, Rhodey and Bruce were pretending to fiddle the controls and examine the map, so they could have some privacy. "You won't be alone." Wanda followed his gaze and shook her head. _

_"You know it won't be the same."_

_"But if it comes down to it, and we have no other option..."_

_ "Promise me." she interrupted. "Promise me you won't bring this up again. I can't do it. Promise me, Vision."_

* * *

"Wanda?"

She blinked and looked away from the jet ceiling, to find Vision's face hovered over hers, creased with worry. Where was she, again? Where were they going? "What?"

"How's the pain?"

"Spectacular." She said, drearily. Her lower stomach felt as if it were full of glass, and every breath reminded her how much it hurt. Her entire body felt heavy and not there at the same time, as if she were in a dream. She _felt like_ she were dreaming... _I'd like to wake up now... _

He tried to take her mind off it. "I think we owe Bucky a new sweater. But I think it's stopped... oh, no." He frowned and pressed it back, as a little more blood welled up. Wanda winced, biting her sleeve.

"I really liked these jeans, too." The red stain almost reached her knees. "I wonder if it'll wash out... " Vision forced another smile for her. Inside, he was registering that Wanda had lost enough blood to become delirious.

The hour dragged by. Vision inched upwards to look out of the window; a sheet of desert sand swept out as far as he could see. "We must be over the Sahara."

"Imagine if we crashed here?" Wanda said, absent mindedly. "We would be in trouble..." Her eyes moved back to the jet ceiling, and the amusement slowly died. A shadow casted over her face. She started to talk, both to herself and to him. It was like she was wondering aloud. "They were going to capture us all. Lock us all away again. The Raft is probably all set up for me..."

"I wouldn't let that happen." Vision promised. His free hand moved to her wrist, his fingertips slowly inching across the straitjacket scar. Wanda didn't bother trying to conceal it this time.

"I don't suppose you remember how I got that, do you?"

"It became infected."

"From...?" She looked disappointed when he shook his head. His eyes moved to the sunken grey scar on the side of her neck. "I had a collar too." Wanda chuckled, as if something so horrifying was funny.

"Oh, Wanda..."

"Don't. _Please."_ Her eyes slipped shut again. He scooped up her hand in his. "Stay with me."

"You said that to me in Edinburgh." She mumbled, sounding so tired.

"Tell me about Scotland." He needed her to keep talking - the most important thing was to keep her awake. "Fill in the blank spaces for me."

Wanda couldn't remember much else. Her mind obsessively replayed the night where those two aliens came for the stone, or precious, romantic moments the new Vision couldn't know about. _What about the castle? _

"We snuck into Edinburgh castle one time after dark. We flew in while there were no tourists around, dodged some security guards, and then we just sat in one of the towers and watched the city from overhead, lit up at night. It was beautiful... but Natasha and Steve had a fit when they found out. Said we were reckless and could have been caught..."

"How did Sam react?"

"He was impressed and asked us how it went. Nat smacked him over the head with a newspaper." Her eyelids sagged.

"What did you like most about it?"

"I loved a lot of things. It was pretty. I loved the cold, the snow, the cobblestone streets. Both of us loved the rain... the sound of it on the windows at night. The best feeling in the world is laying in bed while it rains, and it's completely dark outside. Like we were all that existed in those moments. But I think what I loved most about it was you."

The door to Vision's memory creaked open a fraction. _Loved. _They were walking down streets. She was laughing, walking as close to him as possible. There was a version of Waverley Station in the daylight, as he stepped off a train in his human form. There hadn't a crater in his torso, and he had been holding some flowers. She ran for him, not to protect him, but to hug him. Other passengers had been grumbling as they shuffled onto the platform, trying to get around them as they took up space; but Vision didn't care. Nothing else mattered when he was with her...

"Roses." Vision said. "Red ones."

"That's right. The most beautiful and shockingly expensive of all flowers."

"It wasn't my money to spend, so..." Wanda laughed, and Vision couldn't help but smile. "They were your favourite. If Tony were still alive I'd find a way to repay him..." His smile slowly faded. He knew Tony was dead; but until now, he didn't have enough memories to know he missed him. Wanda gently squeezed his hand.

"Wherever I went, the place came to life when you were there with me. I missed you every moment you weren't there. Your visits gave me something to look forward to." Her eyelids sagged again. "I never imagined I'd lose you."

"You haven't. I'm here."

"Are you?" She murmured, distantly. Her grasp on his hand loosened.

"I know I'm not who I used to be... but one day I will be. And even if I wasn't... you would have Sam and Bucky, and the others..."

"It wouldn't be the same." Wanda didn't look good. Her gaze had returned to sit vacantly on the ceiling. "This reminds me." She murmured. "This is just like last time, when we flew you to Wakanda. Only you were the one who was hurt." Her voice thickened. "It was worse than what I've told you... I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."

"You've lost a lot of blood. You're not thinking clearly..." Without warning, her wound started to bleed again. Vision frantically pressed the sweater into it.

* * *

Why was time going by so slowly?

Vision kept getting up to check the map; each time he returned to Wanda he had to shake her awake again. She was finding it harder and harder to stay conscious.

"I'm fine. I just want to sleep..."

"You've lost over a litre of blood. You have to stay awake. We're a few minutes away now." It had to be more than a litre. The bench was sticky with her blood, trails of it dripping down the side. The smell of it was everywhere, metallic, like rust. "You keep saying you're fine. I know you're not."

Wanda's eyes stretched open again. She had only said it once throughout the whole flight. "I don't want to talk about it. You can't help me."

Her eyes closed. "Wanda? Stay awake, please..." She didn't respond, even when he shook her frantically. The jet controls began to flash; _approaching barrier. _Vision tore himself away from her; they were flying over rolling savannah toward a rainforest. The trees raced closer.

_Is this right? _It was an amazing illusion. No wonder Wakanda had stayed so well hidden. It looked so convincing. Almost real...

The leaves raced toward the windscreen. Vision could see them moving in the breeze. His hand twitched toward the controls, wondering if it was too late to swerve. In a brief moment of doubt and panic he closed him eyes, waiting for the thunderous crash of tonnes of metal hitting a dense jungle canopy, but the jet flew smoothly and didn't even shudder. He opened them and a thousand pictures flashed through his mind at the time they did through his eyes.

Almost immediately, there was an incoming call on screen. A woman appeared. She stared at him through the screen, silent, looking so confused it was almost comical. Someone called out in the background.

"Who is it, Okoye?"

"...You're alive?"

* * *

The jet was turning and flying of it's own accord as somebody else took over the controls. They were being flown swiftly over the city and toward a mountain.

Vision lifted her from the bench. She was a deadweight in his arms, her entire body limp; there was barely a heartbeat left. Very briefly, she stirred. "You're warm." She murmured.

* * *

Wanda was floating. Colour and lights flashed behind her closed eyelids. Was that Okoye's voice?

"Bring her in, quickly! What did this to her?"

"We'll take her into surgery now... I need blood, and -" Shuri's voice faded away. She couldn't hear much now, but she could feel Vision, his hand still in hers. Where were they, again?

"I'll be right here when you wake up."

This was the last thing Wanda heard before she fell into dizzying blackness.


End file.
